A high-ranking Golden executive told PW last week that there was "no credence whats ver" to rumors that the Walt Disney Company may be interested in acquiring the struggling children's publisher. The reports were sparked by remarks made by Disney chairman Michael Eisner last week that the giant entertainment company was considering making a bid for Golden.

Disney is Golden's most important publishing license. In fall 1997, Disney renewed the license for an additional five years, a contract that commits Golden to pay Disney at least $47 million over the course of the contract.