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Wednesday, July 15th, 1998 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs TheDJ.com Morphs Into Spinner.com TheDJ.com, an Internet music service, announced it has renamed and rebuilt itself as Spinner.com. The new service will continue to provide consumers with multiple channels (music genres) of music programming, while providing new features, new content and services, and a look. With this announcement, the TheDJ.com's parent company, Terraflex Data Systems, has also been renamed, as Spinner Networks Inc. "TheDJ.com was one of those products that just clicked," said David Samuel, founder and CEO of TheDJ.com, and now of Spinner.com. "With almost no marketing or distribution deals -- we focused on refining the product and consumer experience almost exclusively -- TheDJ.com grew to more than 20 million page views per month. Spinner.com is an exciting next step for our current users, and the millions soon to be exposed to our product," Samuel said. Spinner.com launches with 100,000 whole songs, played across 100 channels of programmed music. In addition to special features and channel listings, the Spinner.com website is the source of Spinner.com's two branded music players: Spinner, which is a Web-based player that can be instantly launched and played; and Spinner Plus, an enhanced version of Spinner that does not require a Web browser for operation and comes bundled with RealAudio components. CEO Dave Samuel offered a glimpse of what's to come later this summer for Spinner.com. "Our chief engineer, Dave Bill, has developed and filed a patent for the first and only way to deliver a personalized stream of music economically on the Internet. We'll launch that product to all our users, free of charge, later this summer." Teen Magazine Joins FeatureCast Family of Online Publications FeatureCast, the online syndication company, has added Teen Magazine to its growing roster of content produced for the Internet. FeatureCast delivers online content to consumers, such as America's Most Wanted Online and National ENQUIRER Online. The company is a result of a recent merger between idealab! publisher E-Ticket and the Nederlander Organization's Internet venture, RealTime Syndication Network, Inc. "In FeatureCast, we've found the ideal partner to help us bring Teen Magazine to the World Wide Web," said Justin McCormack, President of Petersen Enterprises. "Their technical resources, unique distribution capabilities and respect for the Teen brand, coupled with our own staff of teen experts, will surely make TeenMag.com an instant on-line hit." New Online Service for the Fashion Industry Worth Global Style Network, an interactive online news service designed specifically for the fashion industry, launches in July in over 60 countries. Launching in New York and London, Worth employs a worldwide network of reporters covering the runway collections, seasonal trends, design houses as well as technology, trade events and textile news. The information is filed and updated daily. "Worth is literally a godsend for the fashion industry," says co-founder Julian Worth. "This will become the premier tool for all walks of the fashion and textile industry today." Worth is a subscription only interactive news service accessed quickly through the Internet or Worth's unique satellite delivery system. Members will receive seasonal trend predictions, tracking reports, market analysis, industry updates, licensing news, and resource and technical directories for men's, women's, and children's fashions. Founders Julian and Marc Worth, owners of a half-century old graphics and design business, said Worth was born out of an idea to distribute their designs and artwork to a larger audience. They soon realized they could take the technology to create a much needed international fashion news service. "It's an industry we know very well," said Marc Worth. "And we knew it was an industry that didn't have a one-stop shop for daily international news. It's been needed for years." Encyclopaedia Britannica Launches eBLAST Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. announced the launch of eBLAST, a Web navigation service featuring a searchable and browsable directory of more than 125,000 sites that have been selected by Britannica's editors for their quality and usefulness. Available free of charge at www.eBLAST.com, the new service also offers a forum for today's leading writers and thinkers. "eBLAST is an important step in redefining the role of the encyclopedia in the digital age," said Britannica publisher Paul Hoffman. "Encyclopedias serve two functions: to provide fast access to trustworthy information and to help people acquire knowledge. The Web makes millions of pages of new information available, but some of it is questionable, and much of the best of it is hard to find. Our Web-savvy editors separate the kernels of quality information from the chaff and present it in an engaging, contemporary way." Early contributors to eBLAST include novelist Scott Turow; Michael Kinsley, editor of the Web 'zine Slate; artificial-intelligence guru Marvin Minsky; and civil-rights activist Lani Guinier. eBLAST's special features include: Bookmarks of the Smart & Famous, Web Wonders, New to the Net, Ask an Expert and Site of the Day. Frommers.Com Teams Up With USA Today Online Macmillan Digital Publishing USA (MDP) announced an agreement with USA Today Online. Under the terms of the agreement, articles from Arthur Frommer's Outspoken Encyclopedia of Travel will be woven through the USA Today Online beginning today. "We are proud to present advice from America's Dean of Travel to USA Today readers," said Lorraine Cichowski, vice president and general manager of the USA Today Information Network, which produces USA Today Online. "Arthur Frommer's forthright advice has made the Frommer's brand one of the most- respected names in travel." In addition to articles from the site's daily news magazine, Frommers.com will provide write-ups of the most-frequently visited cities and islands in the world, including discussions of major hotels. Frommer, who calls The Outspoken Encyclopedia of Travel "the magnum opus" of his life, is candid in his reactions to these heavily visited cities. "I've tried to include everything I've learned about travel over my 40 year career," Frommer said. "Our only client is the public and we've been brutally frank in criticism when needed," he said. From his four decades, Frommer shares a host of tips, from things to do before traveling, to the art of budget travel and finding discounts. One of the most popular areas of the site to be shared with USA Today Online is "Novel Travel," which consists of categories of ideas for travelers looking for something different. These categories include Vacationing for Health, Political Vacations and New Modes of Travel. In every article, the site offers specific names, addresses and telephone numbers of companies and travel firms providing these unique services. CCM Magazine Launches Brazilian Edition CCM Magazine announced at the 47th Annual Christian Booksellers Association convention that it will begin publishing in Brazil by late summer (late winter in South America). "We have been working with a group of people in Brazil for over a year now who have wanted to begin a Christian music magazine for their country," said John W. Styll, publisher of CCM Magazine and president of CCM Communications. "During meetings in Brazil and Nashville in April, we were able to finalize plans for the Brazilian edition of CCM Magazine. It will look like CCM and carry many of the same features, but it will be translated into Portuguese and will contain added coverage of Brazilian artists. We are thrilled to be able to extend the reach of CCM Magazine to a country which has demonstrated a great hunger for this type of music." According to Styll, CCM Brasil (as it will be known there) will be published by RGC Productions in Sao Paulo, the third largest city in the world. Estevam Hernandes, president of RGC, is also pastor of Renascer (Born Again), one of the fastest-growing church bodies in Brazil. The company also operates a nationwide satellite radio and television network, Rede Gospel, which is seen and heard in most of the major cities of Brazil. RGC will be working in conjunction with Rio de Janeiro-based Bloch Editores, a major general-market publisher, to print and distribute CCM Brasil throughout the country's newsstands. After an initial press run of 100,000 copies, circulation is expected to settle to 25,000 and grow from there. The magazine will feature articles from the U.S. edition as well as articles of local and regional interest. CCM Magazine is a monthly publication of CCM Communications, a contemporary Christian media company whose properties include the weekly trade publication The CCM Update, "The CCM Countdown with Gary Chapman" and The CCM Radio Magazine programs, Aspire magazine, Worship Leader magazine, and Youthworker journal. VNU To Acquire Win Productions VNU, an international publishing and information group, announced that it has reached an agreement with Winterrust B.V. in Amsterdam about the acquisition of WIN Productions B.V. WIN Productions operates in the puzzle and games market, the five 10 voor Taal publications being the best known puzzle magazines. In addition, WIN Productions jointly, with Tirion, publishes a number of books and, jointly with IDG and Endemol Interactive, a CD-ROM project. The company also supplies puzzles to the professional market. WIN Productions' projects dovetail with VNU's activities in the puzzle market and will be integrated into VNU Magazines' publishing group Puzzle Magazines in The Netherlands. VNU is a Netherlands-based international publishing and information company, whose operations include consumer and professional magazines, newspapers, telephone directories and information services, educational textbooks, business information services and broadcasting and entertainment. Online Directory Companies Launch the At Hand Network Four major online directory companies announced the formation of the At Hand Network Yellow Pages, a nationwide network of Internet Yellow Pages services. The At Hand Network is a business search service offering business listings information nationwide. It is operated jointly by the Internet publishing divisions of Ameritech, BellSouth, SBC Communications and U S WEST. In June 1997, this group formed a marketing alliance that cooperatively developed "The 'Original Yellow Pages,' a shared search page. The At Hand Network expands this service, providing consumers with a common search form, URL and accurate and complete electronic yellow pages information nationwide. The group has adopted At Hand as their common brand name, and the URL as their shared search page. The former At Hand site, operated by SBC Interactive, has been renamed SMARTpages and covers the seven states served by Southwestern Bell, Pacific Bell and Nevada Bell. Around the Web Books Can be Printed on Demand Deseret News Crown Books Files For Bankruptcy Protection Nando.net Random House Management Team Takes Shape BookWire Scholars Track the Appeal of Teen Detectives Detroit Free Press Training Kids for the Real World LA Times Click here to return to the homepage of The Write NewsTM Click here to subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter.  www.writenews.com Copyright © 1997-2007 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
