Michael Eisner
Executive
About This Interview
Michael Eisner was interviewed for three-and-a-half hours (in two sessions) in Beverly Hills, CA. He spoke about starting in broadcasting as an NBC page during college. He then chronicled his early career, culminating in his being hired by Barry Diller (then Leonard Goldberg's assistant) at ABC. He discussed his quick rise through the executive ranks, where he played an important role in the network's climb to number one in the late-1970s with such programming as ABC's Movie of the Week and Happy Days. He talked about his transition to Paramount, where he oversaw Paramount Television and many of the studio's feature film successes. He then talked about his move to Disney, where he was named Chairman and CEO. He discussed how he planned to resurrect the studio, which had been "coasting" since Walt Disney's death 17 years earlier, and how he took a hands-on role at Touchstone Television. He also discussed the Disney-ABC merger, which he felt was crucial to the success of Disney as a whole. He then recounted his decision to leave Disney in 2005 and spoke briefly about his current projects and the state of the television industry today. The two-part interview was conducted by Dan Pasternack on October 19 and 20, 2006.
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Michael Eisner was inducted into the 21st Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
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Highlights
Michael Eisner on his theory of how to make an effective change in television programming
Clip begins at: 22:07
Michael Eisner on advice to an aspiring television executive "get your ass in the door"
Clip begins at: 01:14, Duration: 02m 31s
Michael Eisner on how unqualified he was to program daytime for ABC when he became VP of Daytime Programming in 1969
Clip begins at: 01:24
Michael Eisner on his early failures: "if you don't fail occasionally, everything will be mediocre"
Clip begins at: 06:49, Duration: 01m 41s- Michael Eisner on how ABC's Movie of the Week came about "it was the beginning of some consciousness in that era"
Clip begins at: 09:41 
Michael Eisner on television performers and how they enhance film productions
Clip begins at: 16:57- Michael Eisner on "The Ted Fetter problem" which he describes as network policy to not have a pension or retirement plan in place when letting people go; and his disdain for this business practice
Clip begins at: 13:07 - Michael Eisner how Soapnet came about in terms of ABC owning the shows it put on-air
Clip begins at: 03:13 - Michael Eisner on how Happy Days almost didn't get greenlit because network research said "the 50s won't work"; Eisner didn't believe in research
Clip begins at: 26:12, Duration: 03m 35s 
Michael Eisner on the development of The Golden Girls and the role Estelle Getty played in making the women seem "young"; on finding the audience "you can't kill a good show"
Clip begins at: 12:49- Michael Eisner on who will change the shape of television in the future- the people who can tell a story
Clip begins at: 03:20, Duration: 00m 21s
Interview
- Part 1
- On his family, childhood, education and childhood interests
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On coming out of college in the 1960s and working at ABC; how the Vietnam war impacted him
Clip begins at: 11:21 - On first seeing television; his father built his first television set; on his early interest in the entertainment industry; on being a page at NBC, working as an FCC logging clerk; delivering the morning traffic report; on getting a job placing commercials in children's Saturday morning shows at CBS
Clip begins at: 16:38 - Part 2
- On getting hired at ABC; on meeting Barry Diller
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On ABC as the "fourth network" when he began working there; the first-run movies that began airing as the ABC Sunday Movie; on his initial responsibilities at ABC in programming as an assistant
Clip begins at: 07:50 - On becoming Manager of Specials and Talent at ABC; on producing Feelin' Groovy at Marine World, Cousteau and other specials; on the office politics at ABC in 1967-68 and his role as a jack-of-all-trades there; on his theory of programming
Clip begins at: 12:40 - On realizing the need to be both commercially successful and seriously responsible as a programming executive; introducing The Jackson Five to ABC's children's programming
Clip begins at: 26:23 - Part 3
- On working on General Hospital for ABC as Vice-President of Daytime programming in 1969; adding One Life to Live and All my Children to the roster to create the schedule; on how he began buying shows for ABC; how Soapnet came about
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On ABC's Movie of the Week; "it was the beginning of some consciousness in that era"
Clip begins at: 08:15 - On what he saw as unethical business practice in letting the older generation go when he was a young executive at ABC
Clip begins at: 13:00 - On the heyday of ABC: Happy Days and casting the show
Clip begins at: 24:23 - Part 4
- On Happy Days moving from a single-camera to a multi-camera show because of the audience reaction to "Fonzie"; on the development of Laverne & Shirley
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On why he didn't believe in spinoffs; on his successes at ABC; on Roots
Clip begins at: 11:00 - On programming he created with Aaron Spelling including Mod Squad, Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, etc and their somewhat contentious relationship; on Leonard Goldenson; on lessons learned at ABC
Clip begins at: 16:34 - On his decision to leave ABC
Clip begins at: 26:25 - Part 5
- Part II of this interview; on his transition to President of Paramount Pictures from ABC; working with Barry Diller first at ABC then at Paramount
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On his film successes at Paramount; "Foul Play" with Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase, "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty, "Up in Smoke" with Cheech and Chong, "Saturday Night Fever" with John Travolta, Eddie Murphy in "Beverly Hills Cop"
Clip begins at: 00:00 - On Paramount Productions at ABC; Mork & Mindy with Robin Williams; on putting TV writers in the movie business
Clip begins at: 13:04 - On launching a "fourth" television network with Paramount Television
Clip begins at: 18:48 - On leaving Paramount Television after Charlie Bludhorn died; on becoming Chairman and CEO at Disney
Clip begins at: 24:59 - Part 6
- On coming to Walt Disney Productions as Chairman and CEO; on various movie deals he orchestrated there
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On television developed at Touchstone Television; Golden Girls, Cheers, while he was CEO at Touchstone's parent company, Disney
Clip begins at: 12:39 - On the team of talented people who he brought in to work with him; Jeffrey Katzenberg, Frank Wells
Clip begins at: 15:40 - On hosting The Magical World of Disney;
Clip begins at: 25:40 - Part 7
- On the Ellen DeGeneres show
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the merger between ABC/Capital Cities and Disney and his role in negotiations and planning
Clip begins at: 03:33 - On the turning point for the "new" ABC; with programming such as Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey's Anatomy; on leaving Disney in 2005
Clip begins at: 16:21 - On his current projects in New Media; on where he sees the future of programming; on his legacy; on his interview show Conversations with Michael Eisner
Clip begins at: 21:42 - Part 8
- On how television has/ has not changed; on advice to aspiring television executives
Clip begins at: 0:0 - On the role of "television" in the future and where he sees it going
Clip begins at: 02:11
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This guys controllin all this negative messages in tv and movies
@lilphil212 u might say its been Brianised
"See you at DisneyLand! BRING MONEY"
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