That didn't take long. A day after Chris Albrecht took a leave of absence from his post following a weekend in which he was arrested for allegedly beating his girlfriend, Time Warner has whacked the HBO chief executive. Nikki Finke reports that because of "Albrecht's past behavior with women at the cable pay channel" he "is being told to quit or be fired."

UPDATE: Time Warner confirms the whacking:

Time Warner Inc. today announced that the Company and Chris Albrecht have agreed that he will no longer serve as chairman and CEO of Home Box Office, effective immediately. Mr. Albrecht said: 'With great regret, at the request of Time Warner, I have agreed to step down as chairman and CEO of Home Box Office. I take this step for the benefit of my Home Box Office colleagues, recognizing that I cannot allow my personal circumstances to distract them from the business. I'm very proud of what we have achieved together at Home Box Office, and I wish everybody there many more successes in the future.' Time Warner Chairman and CEO Richard D. Parsons said: 'Jeff Bewkes and I believe that this is the right decision for the Company. We thank Chris for all of his contributions to Home Box Office over the years.'"

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