Out with the AOL in with the NEW

-SDH Years after the worst merger in history, AOL still carries stains of that fateful day and is still trying to wash them away. The latest attempt by CEO Randy Falco and the rest of his AOLers is to silently kill the AOL name all together, or so some are suggesting. The company has been slowly wiping away the AOL name from some of the company’s services and products in an attempt to attract and not deter. But will the new scheme work for Falco and CO? And at some point will Falco himself be wiped away in favor of a deep rooted digital media maverick? "Whither the AOL brand?" has been a growing question since the company announced over a year ago that it wanted to morph from a Web portal for the masses into a sophisticated company that sells advertising across sites. The company isn't ready to talk about whether it would re-brand the flagship site, AOL.com, or the holding company, AOL LLC. A spokeswoman didn't return messages seeking comment. AOL has operated properties under different names, like MapQuest, Engadget and TMZ, for a while, but industry observers and press reports suggest it is happening a lot more lately. ANY OTHER LABEL [NYP]