America Online is still not for sale, but now we know why: Time Warner thinks it can turn AOL into the money-making machine it was supposed to be when the companies merged in 2001. Speaking at a media
conference yesterday, Time Warner Chief Executive Dick Parsons said that the idea began when its competitors "woke up and realized AOL wasn't dead," and started discussing possible deals. Time Warner
is now looking to grow its AOL business through a strategic partnership that will allow it to deploy more sophisticated technology and add traffic more quickly. Parsons said AOL needs better
advertising sales technology, which will help shift its reliance on the waning dial-up subscriptions business to the lucrative Internet advertising market. While Google is the undisputed king of the
search advertising market, Microsoft and its new AdCenter would give AOL the more comprehensive Internet ad sales package, as well as the added traffic of its MSN portal.
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