
If nothing else,
AOL's never-ending restructuring makes for a wellspring of fresh executive talent. Michael Kelly, former president of AOL's Media Networks, on Monday was named President and CEO of The Weather Channel
Companies.
In his new post, Kelly will be responsible for the strategic direction and operations of TWCC, including The Weather Channel, The Weather Channel Interactive, The Weather
Channel Mobile, as well as Weather Services International and Enterprise Electronics Corporation.
According to Kelly, TWCC is particularly well-suited to today's marketplace thanks to its strong
presence across multiple platforms.
"It is the premiere weather information destination on every platform -- TV, Web, Mobile and business to business," said Kelly. "This multi-platform success
will fuel our growth."
Weather.com is presently the third-most-visited news and information site online with 41.5 million monthly unique visitors.
Lisa Gersh, president of strategic
initiatives at NBC Universal, has been serving as interim CEO of TWCC.
As president of AOL Media Networks from 2004 to 2007, Kelly helped spearheaded the acquisitions of Advertising.com and
Third Screen Media. Under his leadership, AOL was repositioned in the media and advertising marketplace.
Since 2007, Kelly has served as an adviser to Veronis Suhler Stevenson, a media-focused
private equity fund, identifying and assessing digital media investment opportunities.
He also served on the board of several digital media companies -- Eyeblaster, Visible World and American
Town Network -- and as an advisor to the board of Contextweb.
Previously, Kelly served as president of global marketing at Time Warner, working with all of its companies to bring cross-platform
marketing solutions to major advertisers.