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The media mega-merger that changed everything

Thirty years ago Monday, Time Inc. announced it would acquire Warner Communications Inc.

The logo and trading information for Time Warner is displayed on a monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) June 13, 2018 in New York City.
The logo and trading information for Time Warner is displayed on a monitor on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) June 13, 2018 in New York City.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Thirty years ago today, Time Inc. announced it would acquire Warner Communications Inc. It was a mega-deal in the media industry, and promised what would become a rather over-used word: synergy. The 1989 deal sparked a wave of consolidation, and then de-consolidation, as the industry tried to keep up with today’s broadband and mobile reality.

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