AOL stands for America Online and is an American internet service and media company that has been operated by Time Warner since 1993. AOL began in 1989 as a more user-friendly alternative to CompuServe and grew to have over 20 million members by 2000. In addition to providing free email and chat rooms, AOL also offers services such as radio, local search, games, and international versions in countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia. Time Warner announced in 2009 that it would separate AOL into its own public company, ending their 8-year relationship.