Beautifully engraved RARE Specimen from
Warner Communications Inc.. This historic document was printed by the Security-Columbian Banknote Company and has an
ornate border around it with a vignette of an allegorical man sitting in front of a city skyline. This certificate has the printed signature of Steven J. Ross as Chairman of the Board.
Certificate Vignette
1923
Time, a weekly magazine is founded by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden with
$86,375 borrowed from friends and Yale classmates. First issue of Time, with fewer than 20,000 subscribers; magazine loses $39,454 in 1923.
1924
Time turns a profit.
1930
Fortune, a monthly magazine, is published.
1936
Life, a weekly photojournal is published with circulation of more than 500,000 in less than four weeks. Company diversifies into radio, newsreels,book publishing, oil, and forest products.
1960
90 percent of company’s revenues come from magazines.
1964
Time Inc. trades from over-the counter to the NYSE
1967
Time revenues reach $600 million.
1969
Time's bottom line takes a beating as television becomes a major threat.
1972
Life ceases publication; Money is launched. HBO, a new form of pay TV, where viewers pay a monthly fee rather than per-view, debuts. Its first Vice President of Programming is Gerald Levin.
1974
People magazine is launched.
1975
Gerald Levin, now President and Chairman and CEO of HBO persuades Time Inc. to buy $7.5 million of satellite time to distribute HBO programming, making it available nationwide by April. HBO is owner of 52 cable systems around the country. By end of year, HBO had 287,000 customers but decifit continues until 1977.
1980
Profits from Time’s video divisions exceed those from magazines for the first time. One of 10 television households receives HBO. Bob Kerstein leaves Warner Bros to join Falcon Cable TV as CFO. Time begins to be seen as a cable company.
1985
Levin initiates program suggesting merging with newspapers, broadcasting stations, and network.
AOL is incorporated under original founding name, Quantum Computer Services, registered in Delaware
1986
Warner buys out American Express share of Warner-AMEX Cable for $400 million.
1987
Time joined with TCI, the country’s largest multi-system cable operator and other cable companies to bail out overextended Turner Broadcasting System, Cable News Network (CNN).
1988
Warner acquires Lorimar Telepictures.
1989
Time merges with Warner Communications, setting the stage for a string of media consolidations.
America Online service is launched for Macintosh and Apple II
1992
Steve Ross, the architect of the Time Warner deal and a terrific leader, dies in December. Levin is named chairman and chief executive officer.
America Online goes public on the NASDAQ market at original price of $11.50 under symbol AMER
1993
Windows version of America Online launched.
1994
AOL reaches 1 million members.
1996
Time Warner acquires Turner Broadcasting System. Time Warner regroups its operations into Filmed Entertainment, Cable Networks, Publishing & Cable Systems divisions.
AOL tops 5 million members.
1997
AOL tops 10 million members.
1998
AOL completes acquisition of CompuServe.
Standard & Poor announces that America Online will be added to the S&P; 500 Index.
1999
Time Warner announces joint venture with ATT to offer local telephone service in 33 states over Time Warner's infrastructure.
AOL completes its acquisition of Netscape Communication Corporation.
AOL tops 20 Million Subscribers
2000
Time Warner and America Online announce a $181 billion merger.
2001 global AOL subscribers surpass 30 million
2001 Asiaweek, Family Life and On closed
2001 AOLTW announces plan to spend US$6.75bn buying Bertelsmann's 49.5% stake in AOL Europe
2001 buys IPC Magazines from Cinven for £1.15bn
2002 AT&T; sells stake in Time Warner Cable
2002 AOLTW buys 15.3% of VIVA Media from EMI
2002 buys Warren Miller Films
2002 buys 50% of music publisher Deston Songs from edel music AG
2003 Warner Bros sells stake in Australian cinema joint venture (319 screens in 29 multiplexes) to AHL's Greater Union and Village Roadshow
2003 AOL is dropped from the Time Warner company name