Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Bob Iger was back at Disney headquarters on Monday to meet with employees for the first time since surprising the media world by returning as the company's CEO last week.
Iger discussed multiple issues facing the company including Disney's current hiring freeze and what he plans to focus on when it comes to the Disney+ streaming platform. He also highlighted his No. 1 priority as he takes back the reins: creativity.
Iger told employees during a town hall meeting at the company's Burbank, California headquarters that Disney's hiring freeze would remain in place — for now.
The hiring freeze was announced earlier this month by his predecessor, Bob Chapek. Iger replaced Chapek, who had a short but tumultuous tenure as the head of Disney.
Iger said it is the "wise thing to do" to keep the freeze in place given the challenges facing the company. He also mentioned that the duration of the hiring halt will be a factor as he addresses Disney's overall "cost structure."
The announcement of Iger's return comes at a time of great difficulty and scrutiny for Disney, which faces challenges across its media empire. This includes a share price that has been sluggish all year, and a streaming business that's growing but losing money.
Iger said that when he left the company last year, Disney's streaming success was being measured by many different metrics but the main factor was growth. That has since shifted to a focus on "the bottom line" and "how much we are losing and when we will be profitable," Iger said.
Instead of "chasing subs with aggressive marketing and aggressive spend on content," he said, the company needs to start "chasing profitability." In order to do that, Disney needs to take a "very, very hard look" at the cost structure across its businesses, he said.
But Iger said the main focus for the company has to be: "creativity," which the returning CEO said was his No. 1 priority.
"A number of you who worked with me know I'm obsessed with that," Iger said of Disney's creative muscle. "But I'm obsessed with that for a reason. It is what drives the company."
Iger said that it's not about how much Disney creates, but rather how "great the things are that we do create."
Iger didn't waste any time putting his mark on the company. Soon after he was announced as CEO, he reorganized Disney's content distribution structure and said that Kareem Daniel, the chairman of the company's Media and Entertainment Distribution unit, would leave Disney.
Earlier on Monday, his first day back on the Walt Disney Studio lot, Iger tweeted a photo of Disney's headquarters and said, "filled with gratitude and excitement to be back."
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
B.C. conservation officers recently seized a nine-foot-long Burmese python from a home in Chilliwack.
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
The Ontario government is introducing changes to auto-insurance, but some experts say the move is ill-advised.
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Newfoundland’s unique version of the Pine Marten has grown out of its threatened designation.
A Toronto man is out $12,000 after falling victim to a deepfake cryptocurrency scam that appeared to involve Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
It started small with a little pop tab collection to simply raise some money for charity and help someone — but it didn’t take long for word to get out that 10-year-old Jace Weber from Mildmay, Ont. was quickly building up a large supply of aluminum pop tabs.
There’s a group of people in Saskatoon that proudly call themselves dumpster divers, and they’re turning the city’s trash into treasure.
Ontario is facing a larger than anticipated deficit but the Doug Ford government still plans to balance its books before the next provincial election.