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September 17, 2007 6:41 AM PDT

AOL packs its bags for Manhattan, with emphasis on ads

Posted by Caroline McCarthy
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Looks like the "A" in AOL actually stands for "Advertising." The once-mighty online media company has announced a shakeup that will place ad revenue squarely in its corporate crosshairs, grouping its advertising properties--Advertising.com, as well as the recent acquisitions of Tacoda, Adtech, Third Screen Media and Lightningcast--into a new entity that it calls "Platform A."

Former Tacoda CEO Curtis Viebranz has been appointed executive vice president and president of Platform A, and a statement from AOL asserts that this is "the final stage in AOL's transition from an access business to a global, ad-supported Web company." Unwanted CDs in the mail, we hardly knew ya.

In addition, the Gotham tech world will be getting a new tenant: AOL is moving its corporate headquarters to New York City from its longtime home of Dulles, Va., emphasizing in its statement that it wants to be smack in the middle of the advertising world. Offices in Dulles as well as Mountain View, Calif., will remain open.

The company's new headquarters will be in leased office space at 770 Broadway in the NYU-heavy, Starbucks-friendly gray area between the Union Square, East Village and NoHo neighborhoods.

New Yorkers: That means those of you who use the N-R subway stop at 8th Street or the 6 stop at Astor Place may have some new commuting buddies in the near future.

Caroline McCarthy, a CNET News staff writer, is a downtown Manhattanite happily addicted to social-media tools and restaurant blogs. Her pre-CNET resume includes interning at an IT security firm and brewing cappuccinos. E-mail Caroline.
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About The Social

CNET News' Caroline McCarthy is a downtown Manhattanite who believes that, despite popular opinion, the Web can actually help your social life. She's happily addicted to fun social-media tools from Twitter to Yelp to Facebook, sends an inordinate number of text messages, and has a tendency to waste time at the office reading restaurant blogs. Here, she explores all facets of the Web's gregarious side, as well as the unique tech culture in her home city of New York. (Don't call it Silicon Alley.)

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