[Am-info] Pittman To Head AOL--Again

[Fred A. Miller]

Pittman To Head AOL--Again

In an effort to jump-start its ailing Internet advertising
business, AOL Time Warner reshuffled management Tuesday, putting
longtime America Online chief Bob Pittman back in charge. The
company's AOL Internet business had been run by Barry Schuler,
who will head the new home networking solutions and digital home
services division.

Pittman, who will remain as chief operating officer-elect of AOL
Time Warner, had led America Online until its merger last year
with Time Warner. Since the merger, Schuler has served as
chairman and chief executive of the Internet business, the
company's most valued asset until the dot-com bubble burst,
sending the division into a two-year slump in online advertising
that shows no signs of improving any time soon.

"Nobody understands AOL's operations and potential better than
Bob Pittman, and no one is better qualified to manage this
business," AOL Time Warner CEO-elect Dick Parsons said in a
statement. "Bob is taking on this role at a time of both
opportunity and challenge."

In a letter obtained by Reuters, Pittman told employees that the
company's "highest priority" is getting the company's online
advertising business back on track. AOL suffered a 7% drop in
advertising and commerce revenue in the first quarter, and a
number of analysts have downgraded AOL Time Warner stock.
- Antone Gonsalves with Reuters

More on AOL
AOL Extends IM Capabilities With Presence Technology
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eGks0Bce7K0V20BauM0A8

Taking Stock: AOL Time Warner Must Deliver Growth To Earn
Credibility
http://update.informationweek.com/cgi-bin4/flo?y=eGks0Bce7K0V20BWmG0Aj

-- 
Fred A. Miller
Systems Administrator
Cornell Univ. Press Services
fm@cupserv.org, www.cupserv.org
--- SuSE Linux v7.3 Pro---