Gerald M. Levin
- For the Wilton Brands CEO, Revlon CEO, Sunbeam/American Household CEO, Sharper Image Chairman, see Jerry W. Levin
| Gerald Levin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Gerald Levin May 6, 1939 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
Gerald M. "Jerry" Levin (born May 6, 1939) is an American mass-media businessman.
Early life and education
Levin was born in Pennsylvania to a Russian-Romanian Jewish family.[1][2] He lived as a child in Overbrook Hills, a suburb of Philadelphia. He attended Haverford College, where he is a member of the Board of Directors. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1963.
Levin has been married three times and fathered five children.[3]
Career and later life
Levin spent most of his career with Time Inc. (later Time Warner, then AOL Time Warner), starting as a programming executive for Home Box Office (HBO) and eventually becoming CEO of the corporation. Levin is probably most famous for having brokered the merger between AOL and Time Warner in 2000, at the height of the dot-com bubble, a merger which seemed to many to be disadvantageous to Time Warner as the bubble collapsed in the next few years. CNBC named him as one of the "Worst American CEOs of All Time".[4][citation needed]
Murder of Jonathan Levin
One of his children, Jonathan Levin, a 31-year-old high school English teacher at Taft High School in the Bronx, was tortured and murdered on May 31, 1997 by one of his own students.[5][6] The student, Corey Arthur, was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life in prison in November 1998. A purported accomplice, Montoun Hart, was acquitted on the same charges in February 1999. While Hart had written a confession, jurors were not able to find out how it was obtained and felt it was unreliable.[citation needed]
The murder occurred after Jonathan had mentioned in the classroom that his father was Time-Warner head Gerald M. Levin. The former student, Corey Arthur, assumed that Jonathan was rich. Arthur stole Jonathan's bank card and got the account's PIN, obtaining about $200 from the account.[citation needed]
Jonathan Levin High School for Media and Communications in The Bronx, New York City, is named after the murdered teacher.
Philanthropic activities
In addition to being a businessman, Levin is a philanthropist; he is a supporter of Jewish causes and engages in other charitable and philanthropic work as well. He is a trustee and supporter of the Museum of Jewish Heritage,[7] among other charitable organizations.
Further reading
- Klein, Alec, Stealing Time: Steve Case, Jerry Levin, and the Collapse of AOL Time Warner (Simon & Schuster, 2003) ISBN 0-7432-5984-X
References
- ↑ To the End of Time: The Seduction and Conquest of a Media Empire. Simon & Schuster. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ↑ "slate.com article". slate.com. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ↑ "Gerald Levin". Heights - Jewish Business Ethics. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ↑ CNBC.com
- ↑ David Rohde (December 11, 1998). "Jurors Convict Youth in Killing Of His Teacher". The New York Times. Retrieved April 25, 2011.
- ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths LEVIN, JONATHAN". The New York Times. June 4, 1997. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ↑ "Paid Notice: Deaths LEVIN, JONATHAN". The New York Times. June 4, 1997. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
External links
- Gerald Levin's page at The Museum of Broadcast Communications' website
- Forbes Magazine article about Levin's resignation from AOL Time Warner
- October 20, 1998 CNN.com news article discussing opening statements at the trial of Jonathan Levin's then suspected murderer
- Moonview Sanctuary: Gerald Levin's holistic treatment center based in Santa Monica, California
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Steve Ross |
Time-Warner CEO 1992-2002 |
Succeeded by Richard Parsons |
|