AOL to cut 1,300 jobs as call center traffic slides (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Time Warner Inc.'s Internet companyAOL on Tuesday said it would cut 1,300 jobs, or 7 percent ofits work force, largely at call centers where customer querieshave dropped dramatically.

"The bottom line is call center volume has declined by 50percent in the past two years," said AOL spokesman NicholasGraham. He said the company had introduced more extensive toolsonline for customers to help solve Internet problems on theirown and that its subscriber base had grown more sophisticatedin using the Web.

AOL has also seen a steady steam of subscribers leave itsolder dialup Internet service.

Time Warner has sought to reduce costs as part of a largerprogram to boost the value of its shares. The AOL job cuts willaffect call centers in Florida, Arizona and Utah, Graham said.

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