Human 'computer' stuck in old routine

Jeff Bewkes, the television exec who is heir apparent at Time Warner, faces no challenge to his authority from the feuding media giant's online unit, AOL. His placemen, Randy Falco and Ron Grant, are now in charge of the Dulles-based online service. But, looking further back, potential rivals such as Bob Pittman were compromised by their association with AOL's notoriously aggressive business development department. This was the group run by David Colburn that bullied the Golf Channel, for instance, into buying advertising on AOL if it was to ensure carriage on Time Warner's cable system. Among Colburn's henchmen: none other than Ron Grant, Falco's "human computer", now back at AOL in day-to-day charge of the organization. Funny, that. Grant we're told, plans to take back power from the online service's international, mobile and programming departments, and recreate an elite team of dealmakers at headquarters. Because that worked really well last time.

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