“On Thursday the board of AOL Time Warner is expected to endorse a move aimed at rebuilding morale and signalling the future shape and importance of the online division. Less than three years after the merger, the AOL name is likely to be dropped from the corporate masthead. Mr Miller, who instigated the change of name, believes AOL can only assume its divisional status once the company is plain Time Warner, reflecting the primacy of its entertainment and media operations.
“The stakes are high. If Mr Miller succeeds, AOL’s stock price will rebound and the service will become an integral part of the Time Warner empire. If he cannot stop the decline, however, senior executives at the parent company may go further than a name change and get rid of AOL altogether.”