AOL

AOL Names Susan Lyne to New Board of Directors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 6, 2009 - 10:36am.
New York - Nearly two weeks after unveiling its new board of directors, AOL on Friday announced one new member. The company, which expects to complete its spin out from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) by the end of this year, named Susan Lyne, the CEO of online luxury retailer Gilt Groupe, as the board's tenth member. Lyne also has served as the president and CEO of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and previously served in various positions at Walt Disney Company, rising to president of ABC Entertainment. Chaired by CEO Tim Armstrong, the board also will include Michael Powell, Fredric Reynolds, James Wiatt, Richard Dalzell, Karen Dykstra, William Hambrecht, Patricia Mitchell and James Stengel.

AOL Sees Revenue, Operating Income Plummet in Third Quarter

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 4, 2009 - 8:45am.
New York - With its spinout from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) likely less than two months away, AOL continues to struggle financially, according to figures released on Wednesday.

Report: AOL Aims for Mid-December Spin-Out from Time Warner

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 30, 2009 - 7:06am.
Dulles, Va. - Following months of preparations, AOL plans to complete its spin-off from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) in mid-December, Silicon Alley Insider reported. The blog cited three separate sources, including an AOL insider involved in the planning, while qualifying that an exact date hasn't yet been announced internally.
tags: Deals | AOL | Time Warner | Spin-Off |

Preparing for Spin-Off, AOL Names New Board of Directors

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 26, 2009 - 10:17am.
New York - Taking another step toward its separation from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), AOL on Monday named nine members to serve on its board of directors.

AOL Hires Former Google Exec to Build Ad Platform

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 2, 2009 - 7:25am.
New York - AOL said that it has hired former Google (NASD: GOOG) executive Shashi Seth as its senior vice president of global advertising products, charged with building the company's ad platform as it prepared to split with parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX).

Ex AOLer Greg Coleman Named President of Huffington Post

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 16, 2009 - 12:18pm.
New York - Greg Coleman, who for two months earlier this year served as the president of AOL's Platform-A ad business, will become the new president and chief revenue officer of popular left-leaning political news site The Huffington Post, AllThingsD reported. Coleman also is the former executive vice president of global sales at Yahoo, as well as the CEO of search and ad targeting start-up NetSeer. Huffington CEO Eric Hippeau has been a member of Yahoo's board for several years. The status of James Smith, Huffington's current chief revenue officer, remains unclear.

Two Executives Let Go By AOL, Including Newly Named COO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 16, 2009 - 9:27am.
New York - Just two months after being named the company's new COO, Kim Partoll reportedly has been let go by AOL, according to multiple media sources.
tags: Moves | AOL | Time Warner |

AOL Taps Former Yahoo Exec to Lead Email and IM Group

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 9, 2009 - 9:07am.
New York - Looking to expand the reach of its email and instant messaging services, Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL has hired former Yahoo (NASD: YHOO) executive Brad Garlinghouse as its president of Internet and mobile communications.
tags: Moves | Yahoo | AOL | Time Warner |

As Spin-Off Nears, AOL Names Arthur Minson as New CFO

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 27, 2009 - 7:22am.
Dulles, Va. - Just weeks ahead of its planned spinout from parent Time Warner (NYSE: TWX), AOL on Thursday named former Time Warner Cable executive Arthur Minson as its new executive vice president and CFO.

Rumors Swirl About Potential Mass Firings at AOL

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 12, 2009 - 10:09am.
Dulles, Va. - Citing "chatter in Dulles," Silicon Alley Insider reported on Wednesday that AOL could lay off upwards of 2,000 employees next week as part of its ongoing restructuring. A source close to the company, however, told the blog that the speculation may be premature, though "the source does expect significant layoffs at some point."
tags: AOL | Layoffs | Time Warner |

Online Ad Spending Down 5% in Q2; Growth Seen Mid-2010

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on August 5, 2009 - 9:45am.
Framingham, Mass. - Global online advertising spending fell 5% during the second quarter, to $13.9 billion, while the U.S. market declined by 7% to $6.2 billion, according to a report from market research firm IDC.

AOL on Track to Spin Out This Year; Revenue Continues Tumble

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 30, 2009 - 10:37am.
Dulles, Va. - Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes reiterated on Wednesday that the media giant is on track to spin off its AOL unit around the end of this year.

AOL Names Stephane Panier to Head Bebo's Global Operations

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2009 - 7:53am.
New York - Preparing for life as an independent company, Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL on Wednesday named Stephane Panier as the head of global operations for its Bebo social network, charged with expanding the service's global reach and growing its current user base of 24 million.

Time Warner Buys Back Google's AOL Stake for $283 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 28, 2009 - 7:39am.
New York - Five years after selling Google (NASD: GOOG) a 5% stake of AOL for $1 billion, media giant Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) said that it repurchased the stake earlier this month for a mere $283 million. The revelation, disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), comes as Time Warner prepares to spin off AOL into a standalone company.

AOL Web Cartoon Series to Feature Warren Buffett, Carl Sagan

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 24, 2009 - 8:16am.
Los Angeles - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL announced on Friday that it plans to launch a new slate of animated webisode series for kids, featuring personalities including financier Warren Buffett, model and environmental activist Gisele Bundchen, Martha Stewart, and the late scientist Carl Sagan. The company partnered with children's media firm A Squared Entertainment on the series, and with MGX Lab to create interactive worlds with games for each property.

AOL Unveils New Brands, Slogan at Company Meeting

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 24, 2009 - 7:33am.
Dulles, Va. - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL has officially done away with its three core brands -- MediaGlow, Platform-A and People Networks -- company executives announced Friday morning in front of about 2,000 employees at its facilities in Dulles, Va.

Report: AOL May Be Considering Spin-Off of Bebo

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 23, 2009 - 9:26am.
New York - AOL may be looking to spin off its Bebo social network into an independent company, TechCrunch reported on Thursday.

AOL Acquires MMAFighting.com for FanHouse Sports Channel

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 15, 2009 - 7:01am.
New York - Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL has acquired mixed martial arts fighting site MMAFighting.com for an undisclosed sum.

Celebrity News Site TMZ.com Drops Parent AOL for Ad Sales

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 14, 2009 - 10:47am.
New York - TMZ.com, the celebrity news website owned by Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) AOL, is dropping AOL's Platform-A online ad sales team and taking the business in-house, PaidContent reported.

Report: AOL's Future Likely Will Include Fewer Employees

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 13, 2009 - 7:05am.
New York - AOL is likely to shed at least several hundred more jobs over the coming months as it refines its focus as a newly independent company, Silicon Alley Insider reported.