Eisner relentlessly lobbied Teslik to woo her pension funds over to his side, she recalled. At the height of the troubles, Eisner's charm offensive reached a manic pitch.
"He called me routinely at home after my bedtime," Teslik said. "I stopped answering the phone."
Robert A. Iger rose up through the ranks of ABC, which was acquired by Disney in 1996.
(Jacqueline Larma -- AP)
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Teslik said Iger "managed to survive under Eisner longer than anyone else," she said, referring to disposed Disney executives Jeffrey Katzenberg and Ovitz, "so that's something."
Teslik added, however, that "my worry is that he has learned from the wrong person."
Iger plans on talking to major Disney pension fund investors regularly, the company said.
If Iger the man differs from Eisner, indications are that he will stay Eisner's course in running the company, at least initially.
One area likely to see expansion is the company's nascent video game venture. Iger said Disney will pour more money into it, perhaps looking for acquisitions, adding that games "could easily become a core business for us."
Disney also will expand its interests in Asia, Iger said, even though the continent's large potential upside presents an immediate fiscal downside: The company's Japan ventures resulted in $25 million in losses last year, and Disney will probably lose millions more over the next few years as it launches new television channels in India, Disney Chief Financial Officer Thomas O. Staggs said in an interview.
And there are other challenges on the horizon. The company must soon begin negotiations on a new deal with the National Football League for ABC's "Monday Night Football" and ESPN's Sunday night football broadcast.
Many analysts also expect Disney to make another attempt to team up with Pixar Animation Studios, maker of blockbuster films such as "Finding Nemo," which rejected a contract extension last year to continue distributing its movies through Disney.
Personal animosity between Eisner and Steve Jobs -- chief executive of Pixar as well as Apple Computer Inc. -- helped scotch the deal, analysts speculated, and it is unclear whether Iger can smooth relations.
"Don't just assume just because of change [in Disney management] a deal will be made," Iger said.
"It takes two to tango," he added.
