Schuler steps aside, AOL has new chief

NEW YORK: AOL Time Warner Inc. on Tuesday said Barry Schuler has stepped

aside as chairman and chief executive of the media conglomerate's America Online

unit, and will take on other duties developing digital services.

Chief operating officer-elect of AOL Time Warner, Robert Pittman, will take

over Schuler's operating responsibilities at AOL. Pittman ran America Online's

operations before the merger of America Online and Time Warner in 2000.

The move comes at a time when AOL's Internet unit is the source of concern

among investors, as growth slows and it struggles to shift its more than 30

million subscribers from slow dial-up connection to high speed broadband links.

Schuler became Chairman and CEO of America Online in January 2001, following

the completion of the merger. Before that, Schuler was president of the

Interactive Services Group at America Online, where he was responsible for the

flagship AOL service, Netscape Communications and CompuServe.