One of the theme park-related fallouts associated with the pandemic has been Disney's decision to suspend circulation of the 'Eyes & Ears' -- the long-running cast member publication. Although it has evolved over the years, from newsletter to tabloid to magazine formats, the largely a promotional device hyping Disney "news" and advancing company interests, is still one of those touchstones that breeds a sense familiarity among CMs.
Considering the number of cast members it's designed to serve, I would assume, in Central Florida, the size of the publication's readership compares favorably to most local print media. In my formative years living in 1980's Orlando, you couldn't visit a friend's apartment without spotting a copy sitting on a coffee table or bathroom floor.
And while it is/was largely corporate propaganda, some of the commemorative publications were pretty cool. In the past I've managed to acquire several copies of editions celebrating the opening of park expansions like 'Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge' and 'Pandora - The World of Avatar'-- gifting them to other theme park fans (including a couple of the TPI regs).
But for a year and a half, the presses have sat idle.
Here's hoping that somewhere in the corporate catacombs at Disney, a staff is quietly at work preparing a special edition to celebrate the fiftieth.
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@RM: Point taken, but they sold ad space. In fact the majority of the issues were ads.
Hope this returns, TH. Unfortunately, print is dying as Russell said. I’d hate to see another long time Disney tradition disappear.
TH, I was never read much of Eyes and Ears, but I remember the days when the Disneyland Line would share stories of what was going on at the Park behind the scenes, including talking about attraction development with folks from WDI. Like you mentioned with Eyes and Ears, the Line tends to be more of a mouthpiece for the folks in the corner offices of the Team Disney building these days, but it’d be a shame if it and Eyes and Ears became a virtual publication only available through the Hub ( or whatever the Company’s calling it these days).
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As with most major corporations, I wouldn’t be surprised if Disney would prefer the publication to become virtual. While it definitely serves a purpose of boosting morale and a sense of corporate pride, I don’t think the publication costs would be justified in today’s world of online bulletin boards and messaging platforms.