HBO Whacks Albrecht

HBO chief exec Chris Albrecht announced May 8th he was taking a leave of absence to deal with an alcohol problem following his arrest in Las Vegas on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend.

It wasn’t enough to save his job; he announced his resignation the next day "at the request of Time Warner."

His resignation also came after the Los Angeles Times reported that HBO in 1991 paid a $400,000 settlement to a subordinate of Albrecht, whom he had dated, after she accused him of shoving and choking her.

"This is the right decision for the company," TW Chairman/CEO Richard Parsons said. "We thank Chris for his contributions to Home Box Office over the years." COO Bill Nelson will run the company until a permanent replacement is named.