Executive Rx: Levin Joins Oasis TV

LevinGerald Levin, the former Time Warner executive who made the biggest and most controversial media merger deal ever with AOL, will take a position as chairman of Oasis TV, the cable health network.

Levin will be senior advisor of the company, helping its capitalization and funding strategy, until he assumes the role of chairman. Oasis is currently available on demand in 9.9 million cable and satellite households nationwide. It is launching a linear TV channel early next year.

"I look forward to supporting the management and its goal to grow the company into the leading body-mind-spirit programming service in the world," Levin said in a statement. "It's also about a lifestyle I personally believe in."

Robert Schnitzer, founder and president/CEO of Oasis TV, said: "Oasis TV is poised to benefit tremendously by the new collaborative alchemy Gerry brings to the company."

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Since exiting Time Warner as chairman and CEO in 2002, Levin has been involved in many different entrepreneurial efforts -- especially those in the health arena. Levin currently is the presiding director of Moonview Sanctuary, a holistic mental-health institute in Santa Monica, Calif., founded by his wife, Dr. Laurie Ann Levin. He is also a partner in Connectivity, a consultancy for entrepreneurs and start-ups.

Levin, who was the top Time Warner executive from 1992 to 2002, made a landmark media deal in 2001, when he merged the media company with then Internet powerhouse AOL. The deal has been widely viewed as a massive failure.

Levin was also instrumental in purchasing Turner Broadcasting in 1996, which has become a key Time Warner programming and cable network asset.

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