NEW YORK: The world's largest media company will officially drop "AOL" from its name on Thursday, returning to the name "Time Warner Inc."
"AOL" was added to the name after America Online merged with Time Warner at the height of the Internet boom in early 2000.
The new changes were decided upon last month at a board meeting of AOL Time Warner (AOL). The company said the changes would end confusion between "AOL" the online service and "AOL" as shorthand for the entire corporation, whose vast media holdings include CNN, HBO, Time magazine and Warner Bros.
Veterans from the Time Warner side of the company had long pressed for AOL to be removed from the company name as disappointment over the merger mounted. Federal regulators have been investigating questionable accounting at the AOL division.
The drive for a name change gained momentum after Jonathan Miller, head of the AOL division, made a personal appeal to chairman and CEO Richard Parsons that the change be made in order to help AOL regain control over its own brand.
The company's shares also will resume trading under their former ticker symbol of "TWX" on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday, instead of the current "AOL." The company will also change its Web site to http://www.timewarner.com from http://www.aoltimewarner.com. 

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