[MouseMan]

Disney Sees TV, Studio Operations Profit
Tue Sep 30, 4:32 PM ET
NEW YORK TIMES-
Walt Disney Co. expects business to improve at its ABC TV network and its theme parks in the fiscal year that begins Wednesday, and sees profits growing strongly, particularly from DVD releases.



Speaking at a Goldman Sachs conference Tuesday, Disney President and Chief Operating Officer Bob Iger said advertising at its TV stations had been flat in the fiscal fourth quarter, while its radio stations and radio networks saw advertising grow between 5 and 10 percent.


Iger said the ABC broadcast network has "room for ratings improvement," and should start to contribute to the bottom line in 2004.


Reaction to a vacation promotion at DisneyWorld over the summer, has been "fantastic," Iger said.


He added that costs at Disneyland in California and DisneyWorld have been held low and both parks should benefit from events around the 50th anniversary of the opening of Disneyland in 2004.


Iger also said that the company's negotiations with digital animation studio Pixar continue, but he didn't disclose specifics. Disney is the distributor of Pixar films under a deal that ends when Pixar delivers the last two movies under the pact, "The Incredibles" in 2004 and "Cars" in 2005.


Pixar is seeking a more lucrative deal with Disney or another studio.


Disney can produce Pixar-type animation through smaller companies and Disney's own studios, Iger said. In 2005, the company is set to release the computer-animated film "Chicken Little."


Shares of Burbank, Calif.-based Disney, a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, closed Tuesday at $20.17, down 11 cents on the New York Stock Exchange

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[DisneyDriver]

Hmmm...I thought that "Chicken Little" was going to be traditional animation, not CGI.

Maybe that was wishful thinking.