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Falco Departing NBCU to Head AOL

Nov 15, 2006  •  Post A Comment

Randy Falco, NBC Universal’s No. 2 television executive, is leaving the company to take the helm of Time Warner’s AOL online service.

Mr. Falco, who in December was passed over for the top job at NBC Universal’s television group in favor of Jeff Zucker, was responsible for the group’s commercial and operational functions. At AOL, the 52-year-old Falco, currently president of the NBCU Television Group, will take over from Jonathan Miller, who is leaving the business after four years, Time Warner said Wednesday in a statement. Mr. Falco will be chairman and CEO of AOL.

Time Warner is turning to a television executive with experience running an advertising-supported business as it tries to wean AOL off a diminishing pool of subscription revenue. Time Warner CEO Dick Parsons has resisted pressure to shed the online unit, betting it can be reinvented as Internet advertising increases.

Falco’s resume at NBC includes stints as group president for the NBC Network and president of NBC’s Broadcast and Network Operations division, and he collected six Emmy Awards for the network’s Olympics broadcasts.

“With his proven success in operations, business development, video programming and advertising-supported businesses, Randy brings the right tools to run AOL at this important time in its history,” Time Warner Chief Operating Officer Jeffrey Bewkes said in the statement.