AOL Time Warner back to Time Warner?

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-09-24 07:13am

http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59978,00.html

Name Change for AOL Time Warner?

By Associated Press

01:21 PM Aug. 11, 2003 PT

NEW YORK -- America Online is asking AOL Time Warner to drop "AOL" from its name, concerned that negative publicity about the parent company is hurting the online service's efforts to right itself, a person familiar with the situation said Monday.

Jonathan Miller, the chief executive of America Online, has raised the issue with AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons, according to a person with knowledge of the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Mia Carbonell, a spokeswoman for AOL Time Warner, declined to comment on the story, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on its website.

The talks remain in early stages, the source said. Any name change would have to be approved by the company's board.

AOL Time Warner's name has been tarnished as the Securities and Exchange Commission investigates numerous accounting issues at the company, mainly at the AOL division. The company also has been hit with numerous shareholder lawsuits that accuse AOL Time Warner of misleading investors.

Miller's rationale for seeking the change is that he is concerned that negative publicity regarding the parent company is often associated with the America Online division, the source said, particularly since the full name of AOL Time Warner is often abbreviated to "AOL" in news stories.

America Online has been struggling to turn itself around as dialup subscribers continue to abandon the service for faster ways to connect to the Internet. Revenues and earnings at AOL are falling, and subscriber losses have increased faster than many analysts were expecting.

If the AOL name is dropped, it would represent the latest retreat from the lofty goals of the deal announced in January 2000 under which AOL agreed to purchase Time Warner.

Since then, several senior managers from the AOL side of the company have left or lost power, and veterans from Time Warner including Parsons are firmly in control. The company also has abandoned promises of rapid growth and "convergence" among different corporate divisions.

AOL Time Warner (AOL) shares rose 27 cents to $15.50 each in Monday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

~ver

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-09-24 10:12am

Einy the fastest SD.net news finder....this story was on the news for almost two weeks.

InnerBrat · Post by **InnerBrat** » 2003-09-24 10:20am

^^ see? it's not just me who can't tell you guys apart! and you don't even have an angel doll av!

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-09-24 10:49am

innerbrat wrote:^^ see? it's not just me who can't tell you guys apart! and you don't even have an angel doll av!

Crap i gotta stop drinking on my birthday i can`t tell Einy and Verilon apart...damn i feel i major hangover coming.

Pablo Sanchez · Post by **Pablo Sanchez** » 2003-09-24 11:55am

Montcalm wrote:
innerbrat wrote:^^ see? it's not just me who can't tell you guys apart! and you don't even have an angel doll av!
Crap i gotta stop drinking on my birthday i can`t tell Einy and Verilon apart...damn i feel i major hangover coming.

Happy birthday, you repulsive lush.

Montcalm · Post by **Montcalm** » 2003-09-24 11:58am

Pablo Sanchez wrote:Happy birthday, you repulsive lush.

Thanks and go in OT there`s a topic i started about my B-Day.

Andrew J. · Post by **Andrew J.** » 2003-09-24 05:24pm

Hard to imagine AOL worrying about negative publicity from outside the actual ISP division since they get so much bad press simply for sucking the way they do.

Post by **haas mark** » 2003-09-24 07:49pm

This is what I get for being up at all hours of the night...

~ver

Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi · Post by **Asst. Asst. Lt. Cmdr. Smi** » 2003-09-25 06:28pm

Hopefully, this won't keep them from sending those shiny round coasters they give you in the mail.