Entertaindom Angry Over AOL

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgWith the AOL merger coming near, Warner Bros.' Entertaindom.com employees are threatening walkouts and blackouts of the site. Reuters reported that staffers are angry with parent company Time Warner's lack of interest in Entertaindom as the America On-line deal is coming to a close. Hopes of Internet-made millionaires at the fledgling entertainment site were dashed when Time Warner called off the planned spin-off of Entertaindom as a public stock. In addition, the amount of previously agreed-upon Time Warner stock that Entertaindom employees will receive continues to drop. If Entertaindom had gone public, president/CEO Jim Moloshok might have become one of Warner Bros.' richest. Minus the lavish perks many Entertaindom employees are dusting off their resumes. With multiple changes at the head of the destination site, the true future of Entertaindom is not really known. On March 13, 2000, Kevin Tsujihara, Warner Bros. senior VP of strategic planning and development, was promoted to lead Warner Bros. New Media, which oversees Warner Bros. On-line and Entertaindom. He also serves as the key cog in the melding of Time Warner and AOL strategies. With Tsujihara's appointment, Moloshok has one more person to go through to reach upper level Time Warner management. Moloshok used to report directly to Time Warner Digital Media president Richard Bressler. It is speculated that the Tsujihara position is a safety net created in case Entertaindom execs do decide to exit the company. However, Tsujihara still hasn't signed a contract with Warners. Originally there were plans for four more areas of Entertaindom including news, finance, sports and lifestyle, which will likely be rolled into AOL once the merger is final.