AOL veteran joins News Corp. as chief technology officer

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Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp., which has struggled to make its mark in the digital space, has named a former America Online executive as its chief technology officer.

John McKinley has been appointed to the dual role of chief technology officer and president of technology for News Corp.’s Digital Media Group. He will be responsible for developing new digital products and working with other executives to extend the company’s media businesses into the digital space.

McKinley has already been working with News Corp. as the technical lead for the media company’s new iPad news app the Daily, which is scheduled to launch Wednesday.

McKinley previously worked as chief technology officer and president of digital services at AOL. Before that, he headed global technology and services for Merrill Lynch. Most recently, he founded OurParents, an online service for adult children caring for aging parents. The site offers a database of care providers with quality ratings.

In his new post, McKinley will report to Chief Digital Officer Jon Miller, who himself is an AOL veteran.

-- Dawn C. Chmielewski