By Katharine Jose

October 17, 2008 | 12:33 p.m

More from Glenna:

By Matt Haber

May 16, 2008 | 2:40 p.m

According to Reuters, Richard Parsons, Time Warner's chairman, is planning to step down in 2009. "This is my last shot at this," Parsons is quoted as saying during a shareholders meeting. "I will be the outgoing chairman after this year, probably."

Get ready for journalists to start another round of the "Richard Parsons, future New York City mayoral candidate" meme.

Flashback: AOL-Time Warner's New Chief, Richard Parsons, Makes His Social Debut, December 23, 2001.

October 26, 2007 | 3:39 p.m

The Times of London reported today that Richard Parsons, the CEO of Time Warner Inc., could step down as early as next week, to be replaced by Time Warner president Jeff Bewkes.

Mr Bewkes has long been since as Mr. Parsons' heir apparent, and is considered more likely to shake up the company by, for instance, selling off the struggling AOL, which recently announced plans to lay off aorund 2000 employees.

Time Warner has denied the report, calling it "a rumor". We've put our own call in to the media conglomerate, and will update if we hear anything.

By Azi Paybarah

April 8, 2007 | 8:00 p.m

Supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis thinks he’s figured out how to make himself Mayor in 2009. He’s got money, certainly. And he’s got connections: He’s a key bundler for Hillary Clinton and claims her husband, the former President, as a friend. All he needs now is a political party. He’s a Democrat, but he’s decided that he needs to run, Bloomberg-like, as a Republican. Which explains why he showed up at the annual fund-raising dinner for the Republican Party in Queens last week, where he was honored as “a noted philanthropist.” Mr. Catsimatidis needs them. And he’s sure that they need him. New York is going in the right direction, he said, “and we certainly don’t want to see New York go backwards.” The mostly male, mostly middle-aged crowd of about 150 applauded politely. “You don’t want to see your real estate worth half as much,” Mr. Catsimatidis continued. “You don’t want to see your taxes go up.” And he said that he had already met with local Republican officials and told them “I will help them do whatever is possible to help build the party.” After his speech, Mr. Catsimatidis huddled with Queens Republican chairman Phil Ragusa and state party chairman Joseph Mondello, placing a hand on each of their shoulders and reminding them that he was there to help. Before leaving, Mr. Catsimatidis gave them each a business card with his cell-phone number on it. Leaving his wife and teenage children to their own devices, Mr. Catsimatidis proceeded to work the remaining crowd of gray-haired locals, most of whom make the dinner an annual ritual, and younger party members, some of whom have sportingly mounted hopeless bids for office in recent years. Then, in a short interview afterwards, he admired his handiwork. “That makes the difference between me and other people,” he said. “I have the ability to do that, versus a lot of other Republicans who don’t. And I think being a people person helps. I like people. I don’t run away from people.” He declined to say whether he had anyone in particular in mind. (Note: Time Warner C.E.O. and oft-discussed potential Mayoral draftee Richard Parsons is not known as a people person.) Mr. Catsimatidis hastened to mention that his planned party switch wasn’t merely one of convenience. “I was a Republican in the 1980’s—a Ronald Reagan Republican,” he said. “I donated to the Republican library. I supported George H.W. Bush. I helped build the chapel at Camp David under George H.W. Bush, and then I was chairman of the New York County dinner two years out of five under Roy Goodman. I’ve done a lot of Republican things. “And I’m baaaack. How’s that sound?” Mr. Catsimatidis said that he would officially change his party registration in a week or two. Because, he said, of his “future plans.”

By Azi Paybarah

February 18, 2007 | 7:00 p.m

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión thinks a lot about the year 2009. “In terms of candidates for Mayor?” he said in an interview. “What else is there, right?” He went down the list. There’s “my friend [City Comptroller] Billy Thompson, who was sitting in the front row when I gave my State of the Borough speech, but I didn’t notice.” And then there’s “the young Congressman from Brooklyn”—Anthony Weiner—who, if you hear Mr. Carrión tell it, already has a great job. “Not that I’m encouraging him to stay in Washington.” “You hear whispers about Chris Quinn,” the City Council Speaker, who “has to go through this pretty amazing juggling act of attending to a constituency of 50 Council members who are very demanding, and her district.” As for the much-talked-about Time-Warner chief executive, Dick Parsons, Mr. Carrión simply doesn’t see it happening. “I honestly believe him when he says he’s not interested in running.” So who has the 45-year-old Mr. Carrión been talking to about his own chances for 2009? “Anyone who’s willing to listen.”

November 30, 2006 | 8:00 a.m.

The refusal by Time Warner boss Dick Parsons to rule out a mayoral run this week turned out to have been a brilliant piece of public relations, leading to a spate of respectful media speculation and, today, to this enthusiastic editorial in the New York Post.

It ends with the standard catch phrase for all political draft movements: "Run, Dick, Run." But is any of it real? This morning, in reponse to an interview request to Parson's office, here's what Time Warner corporate communications director Keith Cocozza told me: "He's not running for mayor." -- Azi Paybarah

November 9, 2006 | 7:36 a.m.

Here's Eliot Spitzer's newly announced transition team: Rich Baum, executive director Paul Francis, policy director Francine James, appointment director Chairs Richard Parsons Peter Goldmark, Jr Elizabeth Moore Lloyd Constantine Hunter Rawlings Rosanna Rosado They're accepting resumes here. -- Azi Paybarah

September 18, 2006 | 8:15 a.m.

With Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons in City Hall right now to present a study on poverty in NYC with Mayor Bloomberg, it's worth noting that the study reads like a potential mayoral plan for Parsons, whose electability has been under discussion for some time now. While there are some similarities between Parsons and Bloomberg (CEOs, self-made, Republican), there is one noticeable difference: Parsons seems more comfortable talking about poverty, a subject that received little enough conspicuous attention from Bloomberg during his first term that it became a central line of attack for Fernando Ferrer last year. The study's recommendations make reference to expanded affordable housing, public education and job training. Noting that nearly 340,000 New Yorkers are employed and living below the poverty line, Parsons writes, "Playing by the rules and being rewarded for hard work must be the ticket to financial security for our city's families." -- Azi Paybarah

September 15, 2006 | 1:30 p.m

Hillary Clinton will speak at the September 18 funeral of former Texas governor Ann Richards. Jonathan Tasini asks, 'How am I doing?' Liz Benjamin finds charitable souls who will shoulder the burden of the unwanted pork coming out of Albany. John DeSio makes the case for a Mayor Dick Parsons:

Republicans at Columbia University will host a Global Warming Beach Party. Barack Obama 2008 chatter continues, now that he's visiting Iowa with an important Democratic operative. A White House reporter says Tony Snow is more fun than Scott McClellan Ed Koch attacks a congressman who has a beef with the president. And above is a television ad from upstate Democratic congressional candidate, Eric Massa, who opposes "anything that even rhymes with NAFTA." -- Azi Paybarah

August 16, 2006 | 9:55 a.m.

Is Time Warner Chairman and CEO Richard Parsons, according to this item in New York Magazine. In the past, most of Parsons's political contributions in the City have gone to Democrats like Mark Green and Freddy Ferrer, and potential '09 challenger, Bill Thompson. There was one notable Republican who got a donation from Parsons: Rudy Giuliani. So, if this media mogul is anything like the one who ended up in City Hall, Parsons could run as a, uh...? -- Azi Paybarah