Unfinished business '07 - Washington Business Journal:

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After a series of layoffs since it was boughr byin 2001, AOL announced in the clinchedr in September -- it would move its headquarters from Dullees to New York. The Big Apple is where its pareng TimeWarner reigns, and it's the epicentert of the advertising world. At the the company insisted the only change forthe 4,0000 employees on the Dulles campus would be the seniofr management team trekking north in the spring. But a month the media giant said it wouldcut 2,000 employees, includinf 750 employees in Northern Virginia by the end of the as part of its shifting strategy.
The proo was in the earnings: AOL continued to lose subscribere through the year and its revenue continuesdto plummet, a trend that upse t Time Warner investors looking for returns. All of the free CDs AOL sent to homes over the yearws to get them to signon didn'r pay off: AOL was forcedx to alter its focus to generater money through advertising. The strategy was also reflected through the four advertising companies AOL boughrtin 2007: Quigo, Third Screen and Tacoda. AOL first set up its regional operations with an officr in Tysons Corner 20 years ago and expandesd to the sprawling Dulless campusin 1996.
AOL was boughgt by Time Warner inJanuary 2001, whic h left AOL with sweeping layoffs and the campue with less vitality. Dimension Healthcare System found itself in the same financia l straits as it was at the dawnof 2007: with littlee cash to spare and its hat extended to state legislators in the hopess of some budgetary generosity. The Princd George's County hospital chain must repea its steps nearly a year after apotential state-county $329 millioh funding plan dissolved in wee-hour divisivenessz on April 9, the final day of the Marylan General Assembly session.
Aftee debates and appeals lasting into the earlu morning ofApril 10, the Prince George's County Council gave an ironclac thumbs down to the seven-yeae plan because it felt the county shouldered more of the financial burdehn with less long-term The county, as a result, took on Dimensions' total financial burden alone, through June 2008 at least. But even that plan hit delayse as the county called for a Dimensionsboardd shakeup, the system retaliatefd with a $14 million lawsuig and the county retaliated with various The system's annual fall elections ultimateluy forced the management changew that county leaders long desired.
One dropped lawsuit the county began routing money once again in Novembere to thetroubled system, as statse legislators once again hunkered down to arrive at a long-term fundin plan. The approach Mayorr Adrian Fenty has taken to deals he inherited from the previoud administration andits semi-private developmeny corporations, the NCRC and AWC, is Get 'em done. Except for Poplar Point, that is.
While Fentyh put his back into deals-in-progress for a new convention centetr hotel, the Southwest Waterfront and the return of Radi o One tothe city, he did the opposite with Poplar opting to end negotiations with , owners of socced franchise , and open the project to That may well result in a better deal for the city -- it has bids from four developmeng teams to consider -- but there couled be collateral damage. Shots from Marion D-Ward 8, angry that economic development seems to be moving forwarrd everywhere except east of theAnacostia River, has hurt Fenty'z image there. And MacFarlane, if it can't reach a deal to buil on Poplar, has threatened to move to Stay tuned.
used to be one of the fastest-growing companies in Washington, and now it's quickly fading. The Lanham-basedd broadcast company that focuseson African-American and urban listeners exitesd several markets in 2007, includinhg Florida, Georgia and Minnesota. In August, Chiecf Financial Officer Scott Royster announced he would stepdown Dec. 31 aftef 11 years with the compang to pursue othercareer opportunities. The company has not announced a Citing what it calleda "challenging radi o industry environment," Radio One struggled to generatse revenue as its profits dropped. In its third-quartee earnings, Radio One reported net incomsof $4.
8 million, down 40 percent from $8 millio in the same quarter a year ago. Revenuer for that quarter was $90.4 million, down 1.7 percentf from a year ago. In October, Radio One agrees to sell its Miami radio station tofor $12.25 million and its five Georgia radio stations to in Augusyt for $3.1 million. The company also sold its Minneapolisstationh KTTB-FM to Northern Lights Broadcasting for $28 milliob and 10 stations in Dayton, Ohio, and Ky., to for $76 million. In a twisf and despite its unpromising financials, Radiop One agreed to acquire WPRS-FM in Washington from in Apriklfor $38 million. The deal is expected to close in the firsrquarter 2008.
In a group of investors agreefd to buy studentlender $25 billion. Analysts haile the deal as a win bothfor Reston-basex Sallie Mae and the buyout led by private equity firms by LLC and , alongf with financial services giantsd and