AOL to cut 5,000 jobs

NEW YORK — AOL said Thursday it would drop as many as 5,000 employees, or a quarter of its global work force, within six months as the company restructures its business to draw more online advertising dollars.

The announcement came a day after AOL said it would no longer charge high-speed Internet customers for e-mail and other services.

Massive layoffs are expected as AOL stops marketing its dial-up services and reduces its need for customer-support centers.