Yahoo's quarter: All eyes on Bartz

From CNET News.com: Brand-new Chief Executive Carol Bartz deserves exactly zero blame or credit for the fourth-quarter financial results Yahoo will announce Tuesday afternoon, but the judgment of her abilities will begin in earnest when she bears the Internet pioneer's tidings.

That's because Bartz so far has spent only 20 minutes on the phone with analysts as Yahoo's CEO, much of that spent setting a straight-talking, no-nonsense tone while avoiding any real discussion of Yahoo's position. The post-earnings call will be her opportunity to share her first assessment of the company and any plans she has for it.

However, one source familiar with Yahoo's plans for the call cautions against expecting some detailed recipe for turning around the company. Yahoo may have hired Bartz with relative alacrity, but the source said it's still "way too early" for her to reveal more than a few hints at what she has in mind for the company.

Bartz has the formidable task of rebuilding Yahoo before her. Former CEO Jerry Yang worked at it for a year and a half, laying some foundations such as Yahoo Open Strategy and the Apt system for handling display ads, but Yahoo now must show progress in actually improving revenue, net income, and share price. Worse, the company must do it during a recession.

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