(BSNS WIRE)
AOL Appoints Entertainment Pioneer Robert Harris as Executive Producer,Broadband
Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers
DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 1999--
Former President of Universal Television and MCA Television Group
Brings More Than 30 Years of Experience to
AOL's Broadband Programming
AOL Broadband Team In Place To Produce
Cutting-Edge, High-Speed Content
America Online Inc. (NYSE:AOL), the world's leading interactive
services company, today announced the appointment of Robert Harris to
the position of Executive Producer, Broadband.
Harris will be responsible for spearheading all development
activity with regard to broadband content for the company's
interactive services, including designing programming, acquisition of
programming and product, product development, identifying new content
providers and working with current content providers that may have
broadband applications.
He will report directly to Barry Schuler, President of AOL
Interactive Services.
Harris has had a long and distinguished entertainment career,
during which he was involved in the creation, production or both of
thousands of hours of network and cable programming.
AOL's broadband operation will create AOL-branded products and
services specifically tailored for the broadband user and will include
video, audio and graphics. AOL's next-generation broadband programming
is scheduled to roll out this summer, to coincide with the first wave
of AOL broadband access.
AOL and Bell Atlantic announced in January a strategic alliance
that will make DSL technology available to 7.5 million homes by year's
end, and in March AOL and SBC announced a deal to offer high-speed DSL
upgrades to AOL members in Pacific Bell, Southwestern Bell and Nevada
Bell Regions. SBC's DSL service will to be available to 8.4 million
homes by the end of 1999.
Bob Pittman, President and COO of America Online Inc., said:
"Robert Harris is a legend in the entertainment industry. He is
responsible for an unprecedented string of breakthrough television
hits spanning almost 30 years, and helped run some of the most
prolific and important companies in Hollywood. With Robert, AOL is
getting a rare combination of creative innovator and proven manager."
Pittman continued: "Robert's experience as a driving force in
redefining network television is just the type of experience that will
help AOL redefine the interactive medium as we enter the new
millennium with high-speed broadband service."
Harris said: "I'm very excited about combining my background in
the network and filmed entertainment industry with AOL's proven
leadership experience in the interactive medium. This is a great
opportunity to provide AOL members with content and services that take
advantage of the unique capabilities of high-speed access."
Harris was instrumental in the creation or production of such
well-known hits as Magnum P.I.; Murder, She Wrote; The A-Team; and
Miami Vice. For thirteen years, from 1976 through 1988, Harris
worked at MCA, eventually becoming President of Universal Television,
and ultimately serving as President of the entire MCA Television
group.
During his MCA tenure, Harris personally developed and sold more
than 50 television series. As President of the MCA Television Group,
Harris was responsible for a number of important sales, production and
programming innovations that changed the broadcast environment.
Responding to the emergence of cable television, Harris pioneered
the sale of network series to basic cable and created an MCA division
that soon became the major supplier of cable programming. Diversifying
MCA's production outlets, he developed ancillary markets such as
domestic and foreign home video and oversaw an unprecedented growth in
international markets.
While President of Universal Television, Harris built that
unit into the dominant supplier of network television programming,
with an annual production budget of several hundred million dollars.
By 1986, a record 17 Universal Television series were being aired
across all three of the major networks.
After leaving MCA, Harris served from 1988 to 1990 as President,
Motion Pictures-Television of Imagine Films Entertainment, Inc. Since
1990, Harris has served as President and CEO of Harris & Company and
Harris Entertainment, Inc., two independent motion picture and
television production companies he founded in 1990.
Harris started his career in journalism, working for a number of
Los Angeles television stations and eventually executive producing the
local ABC affiliate's Eyewitness News, before becoming a prime-time
programming executive with ABC Entertainment, where he supervised a
number of network series, including Happy Days and The Brady Bunch.
America Online also announced that Bill Youstra, previously AOL's
Managing Director, Daily Programming and Promotions, has become
Managing Director, Broadband. He will work closely with Harris and
focus on product content and development.
Youstra has been with AOL since 1994 and was previously
responsible for directing all aspects of AOL's top-level programming &
promotions on AOL, in addition to managing core AOL products such as
Search and E-mail. He has launched over 100 online sites and helped
manage the definition and launch of the Personal Finance channel and
two major versions of the AOL software.
Prior to AOL, Youstra consulted to a number of multimedia,
high-technology and entertainment ventures, specializing in strategy
and business development. Bill holds an MBA from Stanford University,
where he contributed to the best-selling book "Built to Last" by Jim
Collins and Jerry Porras.
About America Online Inc.
Founded in 1985, America Online Inc., based in Dulles, is the
world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet
technologies, and e-commerce services. America Online, Inc. operates:
two worldwide Internet services, America Online, with more than 16
million members, and CompuServe, with approximately 2 million members;
several leading Internet brands including ICQ and Digital City, Inc.;
the Netscape Netcenter and AOL.COM portals; and the Netscape Navigator
and Communicator browsers.
Through its strategic alliance with Sun Microsystems, the Company
develops and offers easy-to-deploy, end-to-end e-commerce and
enterprise solutions for companies operating in the Net Economy.
--30--KMK/ph*
CONTACT: America Online Inc., Dulles
Wendy Goldberg, 703/265-2359
KEYWORD: VIRGINIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED
INTERACTIVE/MULTIMEDIA/INTERNET MANAGEMENT CHANGES
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