Ted Turner should be dancing... Jerry Levin is QUITTING

[Sogturtle]

In a perversely ironic twist to our thread the other day about Ted Turner being bitter and enraged at AOL-Time-Warner head Jerry Levin. A new twist was announced... Jerry Levin is retiring...!!!

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011205/ts/aol_time_warner_ceo.html

[J Lee]

Interesting, considering the conventional wisdom a week ago was that Levin had pretty much gotten all his Time-Warner people into the key corporate positions over the AOL folks after the merger and he, and not Steve Case, would be the No. 1 force to deal with for the next several years.

I'd be surprised if Ted really had anything pivotal to do with this -- Case can't be stupid enough to allow Turner back in the door just to get Levin out -- but it will be interesting to see what, if any, effect this has on the company's cable TV and video divisions, mainly (as far as this board goes) dealing with what they show and don't show on CN and what they release and don't release on DVD.

[Sogturtle]

And one more twist to it John... AOL-Time-Warner announced their intention to buy control of ATT's massive cable systems. Microsoft is HOPPING mad and is trying to back other companies buying the ATT cable-works... Since A-T-W is already related to ATT then if Microsoft helps the other cable companies buy ATT's cable then it WILL make Microsoft at least somewhat related to cable companies in question, possibly even to A-T-W.

[Dave Mackey]

There are only two other companies in the running for AT&T Broadband... Cox and Comcast. Of the two, the scuttlebutt is that Comcast has the edge, due to last summer's takeover bid made by Comcast, the promise of a continued role in the new company for AT&TB chairman Michael Armstrong, and the fact that Cox's bid is an all-stock offer. Like Microsoft, I'm sure regulators are going to be leery of any pairing of AOLTW and AT&TB.

The bids are supposed to be opened and evaluated later this week.

[Sogturtle]

Originally posted by Dave Mackey
There are only two other companies in the running for AT&T Broadband... Cox and Comcast. Of the two, the scuttlebutt is that Comcast has the edge, due to last summer's takeover bid made by Comcast, the promise of a continued role in the new company for AT&TB chairman Michael Armstrong, and the fact that Cox's bid is an all-stock offer. Like Microsoft, I'm sure regulators are going to be leery of any pairing of AOLTW and AT&TB.

The bids are supposed to be opened and evaluated later this week.

Dave, you are quite right that the Feds are going to be more than a little leery... But the notion of Microsnarf being the backer behind the counter-offers from Comcast and Cox is going to make the Federales equally leery (Microsnarf being seen by them as a prime corporate bad-guy). The government is between the proverbial 'rock and a hard-place' on this baby!!

If only a real bonafide offer(s) would pop up now from other movie/media companies... Viacom would be the most likely candidate since they lack cable company ownership. Ditto for our sewer and water pals over at Universal (Vivendi). Sony/Columbia and MGM/UA can both be counted out as just not wanting to get further into the media (and not wanting to borrow the big-loot to do it). Disney would love to, but has its own problems right now. Hmmmm wonder if BMG wants to become an American/German company??? ;)