News Corp. Exec Could Go to Disney (President Peter Chernin)

NEW YORK -- A new contract reportedly would allow Peter Chernin, president of media conglomerate News Corp., to leave without notice for the top post at a publicly traded competitor.

Chernin, 63, has been mentioned as a possible successor to Michael Eisner at The Walt Disney Co., when Eisner steps down as expected in 2006.

The contract says Chernin must give six months' notice and have the consent of News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch if he wants to leave to head the entertainment arm of a parent company -- such as General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal.

But The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Thursday that the contact was designed to allow Chernin to quit without notice if he takes the top job at a competing company that is public by itself, like Disney or Time Warner Inc.

http://www.newsday.com/business/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-news-corp-chernin,0,1452685.story?coll=sns-ap-business-headlines

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=Chernin%2C+Pet&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&txt2000=Y&Order=N

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT & COO
12/10/2003
$5,000
News America Holdings

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT & COO
4/24/2002
$5,000
News America Holdings

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA
NEWS AMERICA INC
2/4/2000
$5,000
News America Holdings

CHERNIN, PETER
NEW YORK,NY 10036
NEWS CORPORATION
10/26/2000
$4,169
LA PAC

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT
8/17/2004
$3,000
Our Common Values PAC

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
FOX STUDIOS/PRES & CEO
3/31/2003
$2,000
Kerry, John

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT
4/19/2004
$2,000
Berman, Howard L

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT
7/29/2004
$2,000
Emanuel, Rahm

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
THE FOX GROUP/PRESIDENT/COO
3/14/2003
$2,000
Gephardt, Richard A

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT & COO
10/12/2004
$2,000
Becerra, Xavier

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORP
2/4/2000
$2,000
Motion Picture Assn of America

Chernin, Peter
Los Angeles,CA 90035
News Corporation
6/1/2002
$1,314
PAC for a Change

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
10/3/2004
$1,000
Meeks, Gregory W

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS AMERICA INC./PRESIDENT
11/4/2002
$1,000
Harman, Jane

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT
5/15/2001
$1,000
Berman, Howard L

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT
5/15/2001
$1,000
Berman, Howard L

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORP
2/13/2002
$1,000
Biden, Joseph R Jr

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORPORATION
4/12/2002
$1,000
Boxer, Barbara

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORPORATION
4/12/2002
$1,000
Boxer, Barbara

CHERNIN, PETER
NEW YORK,CA 10036
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT COO
6/11/2001
$1,000
Markey, Edward J

CHERNIN, PETER
NEW YORK,CA 10036
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT COO
6/11/2001
$1,000
Markey, Edward J

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP
10/10/2000
$1,000
Clinton, Hillary Rodham

CHERNIN, PETER
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORPORATION
9/29/1999
$1,000
Hatch, Orrin G

CHERNIN, PETER
SANTA MONICA,CA 90402
NEWS CORPORATION
4/14/1999
$1,000
Markey, Edward J

CHERNIN, PETER
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
NEWS CORPORATION
4/1/2002
$500
Cantwell, Maria

CHERNIN, PETER A
SANTA MONICA,CA 90402
NEWS CORPORATION
5/26/1999
$1,000
Hollings, Fritz

CHERNIN, PETER MR
SANTA MONICA,CA 90402
NEWS CORPORATION/PRESIDENT
6/10/2004
$25,000
DNC Services Corp

CHERNIN, PETER MR
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT & CEO
3/9/2000
$2,000
Gore, Al

CHERNIN, PETER MR
LOS ANGELES,CA 90068
THE NEWS CORPORATION
9/30/1999
$1,000
McCain, John

CHERNIN, PETER MR
LOS ANGELES,CA 90035
20TH CENTURY FOX/PRESIDENT AND CEO
5/7/2001
$680
New Democrat Network

CHERNIN, PETER MR
SANTA MONICA,CA 90402
NEWSCORP/FOX
7/28/1999
$250
Bradley, Bill

CHERNIN, PETER MR
BEVERLY HILLS,CA 90212
NEWS CORP./PRESIDENT & CEO
4/21/2000
($1,000)
Gore, Al

Whether they rule us in the name of Murdoch or Disney, who cares?