Gerald M. Levin, the previous CEO of Time Warner who orchestrated its disastrous merger with AOL, died Wednesday. He was once 84.
Levin’s grandchild Jake Maia Arlow showed his demise to the New York Occasions, pronouncing that Levin died in a medical institution and lived in Lengthy Seaside, Calif. Whilst a reason behind demise was once no longer disclosed, Levin have been identified with Parkinson’s illness.
Levin was once named co-CEO of Time Warner along Steven J. Ross in 1992; he become the only leader govt when Ross died months later from prostate most cancers.
Levin and then-AOL CEO Steve Case introduced the $350 billion deal to merge the 2 firms on Jan. 10, 2000, on the top of the dot-com bubble. After the merger, growing AOL Time Warner, elements just like the dot-com recession a great deal affected the corporate, resulting in a ancient $100 billion write-down. Levin resigned in 2002.
Previous to the AOL Time Warner debacle, Levin was once an legal professional who become a programming govt in 1972 at a regional pay-TV channel known as House Field Place of job. He was once promoted to CEO a yr later and, in 1975, satisfied its father or mother corporate, Time Inc., to transmit HBO‘s sign national by the use of satellite tv for pc.
“Advocating for HBO to be at the satellite tv for pc was once one of the necessary selections of my whole occupation,” Levin stated in James Andrew Miller’s 2021 e book “Tinderbox: HBO’s Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers” (according to NYT). “The one method you get forward is in case you see one thing that no person else sees and it’s slightly loopy. Satellite tv for pc at the moment was once roughly a dreamy factor, however the concept of constructing HBO into a countrywide community slightly than depending on a large number of little cable networks was once a fairly large concept.”
Levin was once elected a Time board member in 1988, and performed a an important function within the corporate’s merger with Warner Communications. As Time Warner CEO, he treated the purchase of Turner Broadcasting Machine, carry The Gentleman Report, TBS, the Cool animated film Community and different cable belongings into the corporate.
Levin was once born on Might 6, 1939, in Philadelphia to David and Pauline (Shantzer) Levin. He earned a bachelor’s level at Haverford School in 1960, and won a legislation level from the College of Pennsylvania in 1963.
Levin was once married 3 times: to Carol Needleman, Barbara Riley and Laurie Perlman. All 3 marriages resulted in divorce.
Levin is survived by way of 4 kids. He’s preceded in demise by way of his son Jonathan.
