Apparently Disney Chief Robert Iger is a Hillary Clinton fan. No problem with that, as anyone has a right to be wrong if they wish. Unfortunately for Mr. Iger, or worse yet, for Disney's stock holders, where Mr. Iger seems to be going way wrong is in using the power of his own office within Disney to squash the release of the mini-series "The Path to 9/11" on DVD format.
See article here: Investor: Disney shelved 9/11 film
Tom Borelli is so sure the Walt Disney Co. is suppressing the DVD release of the 2006 miniseries "The Path to 9/11" for political reasons that he is ready to put up money to prove the point.
Mr. Borelli, a Disney shareholder, accused Disney CEO Robert Iger at a March 6 shareholders' meeting of blocking the release of "Path" in order to protect Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign and the legacy of her husband's administration.
There's more worth noting from that article (see the rest of my comments and a few more quotes from that news article after the jump...), but the important thing to note is how Mr. Iger is apparently letting politics cause a stupid business decision. You'll see below some information from the original news article that notes that even the weakest of television programs typically find a release on DVD where the studios will gain an opportunity to make back the costs of the production or better still find profit for the studio.
In this particular case the mini-series was aired despite many complaints from Democrats that the film wasn't fair, wasn't truthful, and was completely unflattering to many in the Clinton Administration as well as Democrats in the Congress. It was also aired without commercial interruption or sponsorship, which meant so far there is no income to counter the costs of making the series, or airing the series.
Releasing on DVD would at least give the studio a chance to get back their costs here, and possibly, depending on the costs, even making some money from the DVD sales. Unfortunately for anyone that wants to see the series on DVD, Mr. Iger apparently doesn't want to see the film released because if it is it could harm Mrs. Clinton's candidacy and hurt Democrat chances at winning the White House.
Ironically, the series was none too flattering to President Bush or his administration, but that doesn't seem to be enough to convince Mr. Iger that his responsbility to stock holders outweighs his own personal political preferences.
Here's a few more choice quotes from the article:
Mr. Iger countered at the time that the decision not to release the miniseries on DVD was motivated by business considerations, not political ones.
Mr. Borelli has now told The Washington Times he plans to make an offer to buy the DVD rights to "Path," an Emmy-winning miniseries that prompted fury among Democrats for its depiction of the Clinton administration as dithering and adrift in the face of the growing threat from radical Islamic terrorism.
Mr. Borelli, a portfolio manager with the Free Enterprise Action Fund — an investment fund that seeks to counter the influence of left-leaning "ethical investment" funds — says he has sent a letter to Disney's general counsel requesting a meeting to outline his bid for the film. He won't reveal a figure, but suspects that no dollar amount will persuade Disney executives to allow "The Path to 9/11" to reach store shelves.
Almost makes me want to waste the time to see the series (since there's such a fuss over getting it released on disc). I seem to recall it wasn't very good and didn't do that well in the ratings, but I could be wrong about that. More on the original fuss though:
Leading Democrats sought to suppress or censor the miniseries before its Sept. 10, 2006, network premiere. Charging inaccuracies, Democratic Sens. Harry Reid, Richard Durbin, Debbie Stabenow, Charles Schumer and Byron Dorgan wrote to Mr. Iger urging the broadcast be canceled.
Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright labeled a scene involving her "false and defamatory." Clinton Foundation CEO Bruce Lindsey wrote to Mr. Iger denouncing the "factually and incontrovertibly inaccurate" miniseries, though he acknowledged he hadn't seen it.
Democratic Reps. John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan, John Dingell of Michigan, Louise Slaughter of New York and Jane Harman of California asked ABC to strip away the objectionable sequences prior to airing.
Not so many Republicans in that list there, no? Apparently the Democrats just couldn't bear the thought of having anything unflattering about their leaders see the light of day, and then once it has seen the light of day it has to remain out of public view as much as possible so it can't keep doing any more potential damage.
A few more clips from the original article:
In defense of the program, the film's screenwriter Cyrus Nowrasteh said he used creative license in conflating various reports into dramatically compelling sequences, adding that his film painted both the Clinton and Bush administrations in unflattering lights.
"Path" eventually aired commercial-free on ABC, but the miniseries has yet to emerge on DVD. An estimated 25 million viewers tuned in to see the two-part, five-hour miniseries, which could translate into robust DVD sales should the project find a distributor. Even short-lived sitcoms and poorly reviewed feature films generally make it to DVD. The release typically comes four months after the theatrical window closes.
It's been more than 18 months since "Path" aired.
"Disney has no excuse" not to release "Path," said Mr. Borelli, who argues the miniseries cost ABC $40 million to produce and that without revenue from commercials during the original broadcast or DVD sales, Disney stands to lose the whole amount.
"A corporation has a responsibility to increase revenue for shareholders," he said. "Better to get some money from it than no money."
That last paragraph makes the point that I would make here. Disney owes stockholders (of which I may be one) a responsibility to make a profit where possible. If it is possible to make a profit, or to minimize a loss on this film, then they should do it and politics should not be used as an excuse or impediment.
