Turner goes from top of media game to watching from sidelines

ATLANTA - In less than a decade, the once mighty Ted Turner has gone from the top of the media game to being a mere spectator watching from the sidelines. <br> <br> Late Wednesday, he announced he was stepping down as vice chairman of AOL Time Warner, further loosening his grip on the giant company he helped create. In doing so, he cited his desire to focus on his philanthropic interests. <br> <br> The company said it anticipates that Turner will remain on the board, and officials will be meeting in the next few weeks to discuss the matter further. <br> <br> In a statement, Turner said, ``I have not come to this decision lightly. As you know, this company has been a significant part of my life for over 50 years.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> But infighting and financial hardship at the company has taken its toll on Turner of late. That continued Wednesday when AOL Time Warner reported a staggering fourth-quarter loss of $44.9 billion. <br> <br> Tom Johnson, a former chief executive at CNN and close friend of Turner, said the problems at AOL were hard on Turner. <br> <br> Johnson said, ``Ted was anguished by many of the revelations as it related to AOL and certainly disappointed in the near collapse of the stock, which affected his foundation and affected very much the assets of many of the people that helped him build Turner. I know he&#39;s concerned. But only Ted can tell us why he did what he did today.&#39;&#39;