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Tuesday, December 15, 1998 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs EMAP plc to Acquire The Petersen Companies EMAP plc and The Petersen Companies, Inc. have announced an offer to acquire the whole of the share capital of Petersen. Following the acquisition, which has been approved by the boards of both companies, Petersen will become a new division of EMAP. Jim Dunning, Petersen's Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, will remain as Chairman and President of the new division (which will be called EMAP Petersen). It is anticipated that, upon completion of the deal, Dunning will be invited to join the board of EMAP plc and will report directly to EMAP's Group Chief Executive, Kevin Hand. The Board of EMAP Petersen will include the existing executive directors of Petersen together with EMAP's own executive directors. With a market capitalisation of US$3.7 billion, EMAP is an international media company based in London with operations in the UK, France, Germany, Australia and Singapore. In addition to being one of the largest consumer magazine publishers in Europe, EMAP is also a major publisher of business magazines and has established a leading position within the UK commercial radio market. Petersen, based in New York City and Los Angeles, is a leading special interest consumer magazine publisher in the US, with a portfolio of over 130 titles, including market-leading titles such as Hot Rod, Motor Trend and Teen. EMAP's best-selling consumer magazine titles in the UK include FHM, Smash Hits, Motorcycle News, and Q, and in France, Tele Star and Modes & Travaux. Commenting on EMAP's US expansion, Kevin Hand, Group Chief Executive of EMAP, said: "Petersen represents an outstanding opportunity for us to secure a successful, well-managed business in the US the world's largest magazine market. This acquisition is an important step towards fulfilling our international strategy. With so many titles complementary to our own around the world, Petersen is an excellent fit." Jim Dunning added: "I am extremely excited to play a role in EMAP where the combination of the two companies will expand opportunities for the magazines and employees and will accelerate our growth in the US." Primedia Strengthens Position in Teen Magazines Primedia Inc. has announced that it has strengthened its position as a publisher of magazines for teens and young audiences by acquiring leading publishers of youth entertainment magazines. Sterling/Macfadden Teen Network of New York publishes Teen Beat, Teen Beat Allstars, Sixteen, Sixteen Superstars, Tiger Beat, Superteen and Teen Machine and Laufer Publishing Company of Studio City, Calif. publishes BOP and BB. Primedia, already the leading information provider to teenagers and young adults with Seventeen magazine, now produces nine more of the leading magazines serving young audiences in the United States. The businesses will form the new Primedia Youth Entertainment Group. The Sterling/Macfadden and Laufer magazines are targeted to pre-teens and teens interested in the world of celebrity. They provide readers with must-have information about current teen idols, inside information about celebrities, and pin-up posters of teen stars. "The youth market is one of the fastest growing niches in publishing and it is highly prized by marketers," said William F. Reilly, chairman and chief executive officer of Primedia. "Our extension into the younger teen and pre-teen market is a natural and logical progression. Our dominance of the youth entertainment category with these new acquisitions, plus our established position at Seventeen, give us an unmatched authority in the teen category across all ages." In a related announcement today, Primedia Consumer Magazines announced that Mark Peterson, formerly vice president, single copy sales for Primedia Consumer Magazines, will be senior vice president of the Youth Entertainment Group. Scott Laufer, formerly president of Laufer Publishing, will join Primedia as vice president of the Group and will continue running BOP and BB. EarthWeb Launches Y2KInfo EarthWeb announced the debut of Y2KInfo, an online Year 2000 resource geared towards Information Technology (IT) professionals. The new online service contains hundreds of Y2K resources for IT professionals such as tools, information and services. Specifically, Y2KInfo covers such topics as financial impact assessment, code remediation and validation, Year 2000 compliance management for networks and conversion management. "The potential impact of the millennium bug on hardware, software and databases is recognized worldwide," said Bill Gollan, Senior Vice President, EarthWeb Inc. "With Y2KInfo we hope to offer a wide range of solutions for all levels of IT professionals, from the hands-on bug fixer to the CIO managing implementation strategies." EarthWeb will officially launch Y2KInfo with a series of online discussion forums hosted by several distinguished Year 2000 experts and authors. The discussion leaders include Ed and Jennifer Yourdon, co-authors of Time Bomb 2000, Bill Ulrich, co-author of The Year 2000 Software Crisis: The Continuing Challenge, Ian Hayes, co-author of The Year 2000 Software Crisis: The Continuing Challenge and The Year 2000 Software Crisis: Challenge of the Century and Bruce Webster, author of The Y2K Survival Guide. EarthWeb Inc. is a leading provider of Internet-based online services to the Information Technology (IT) community worldwide. Through its flagship service, developer.com, and its other integrated business-to-business online services including Datamation and ITKnowledge, EarthWeb addresses the needs of IT professionals for content, community and commerce. EarthWeb is a publicly held company with headquarters in New York City. JuniorNet to Offer Zillions Magazine Content JuniorNet, a commercial-free online service for children ages 3-12, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Zillions Magazine to offer specially-created Zillions content on the JuniorNet service. Zillions gives children information they need to be educated, media-savvy consumers. Zillions is published by Consumers Union, which also publishes Consumer Reports. JuniorNet, scheduled to be launched early in 1999, has formed content provision partnerships with other top brand names in children's publishing and family entertainment. In addition to Zillions, they include: Highlights for Children, Ranger Rick, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and Weekly Reader. Content is adapted for multimedia delivery to JuniorNet subscribers. JuniorNet is also developing original interactive programming for the service, as well as a Knowledge Center which offers children access to a wealth of brand name reference materials, linked with a search engine for homework help. "Zillions respects a child's ability to make informed consumer decisions about the world around them, and it does it in a fun and entertaining way," says Alan Rothenberg, JuniorNet's president, chief executive officer and founder. "Young people today are growing up in a highly commercial society. We are proud to work with Zillions to provide children with the information they need to be informed, educated and responsible consumers." Stephen Petranek Named Editor-in-Chief, Discover Magazine Stephen Petranek will join Buena Vista Publishing Group Inc. as Editor-in-Chief of Discover magazine, effective Dec. 14. The announcement was made by Steven Murphy, senior vice president of the Buena Vista Publishing Group Inc. Published by the Buena Vista Publishing Group Inc., Discover is a leading general-interest science magazine. Each month Discover reaches 6 million readers who want to understand science's ever-broadening impact on all areas of life. Petranek joins Disney from Time Inc.'s This Old House magazine where he served as editor-in-chief since 1996. Prior to that, Petranek was senior editor at Life magazine where he was responsible for all science, medicine, adventure, ecology and nature stories. Petranek was the managing editor of the Washington Post Magazine for 12 years. In addition, Petranek was the editor-in-chief of the Miami Herald's Sunday Magazine, Tropic. A recipient of the John Hancock Financial writing award, Petranek also worked as an investigative reporter for The Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. "I am delighted to have someone of Stephen's caliber and experience join the Buena Vista Publishing Group," Murphy said. "Discover is the leading magazine in the science category, and Stephen's task will be to build on the foundation of Discover's great reputation. As we look to the Discover team to broaden its audience, Stephen's the perfect person to lead that endeavor." Kagan World Media to Acquire Asia Cable & Satellite World Magazine Kagan World Media, Inc. has agreed in principle to the acquisition of Asia Cable & Satellite World magazine, published in Hong Kong. The asset purchase, subject to the signing of a definitive agreement, is expected to close early in 1999. AC&SW's directories and reports are included in the sale. The acquisition will expand the Kagan publishing platform in the Asia-Pacific region, which currently includes the Asia-Pacific Media Investor newsletter and annual reference books on terrestrial and multichannel cable and satellite systems and programming. "Asia-Pacific will be the largest and fastest-growing media market in the world in the 21st century," said Paul Kagan, founder and chairman of KWM. "We believe the recently volatile economic conditions in the area are stabilizing and will provide a solid foundation for the future, when the term 'emerging nation' will be superseded by 'leadership economy.'" Kagan plans to maintain executive, sales and editorial personnel in both its London office and in Hong Kong, as well as integrate editorial contributions from its California headquarters and Harcourt Brace Announces Licensing Agreements With Smithsonian Institution Harcourt Brace & Company, a provider of educational products and services, announced that it has signed agreements with the Smithsonian Institution that facilitate the use of Smithsonian Internet resources in correlation with social studies textbooks from Harcourt Brace's elementary and secondary school imprints. "It is a privilege to enter into a relationship with such a venerable organization as the Smithsonian Institution because it is the primary source of so many of our historical documents, photographs and artifacts," said James P. Levy, president and chief operating officer of Harcourt Brace. "Students in every corner of the United States will benefit from learning experiences that combine high-quality print content with direct links to relevant information from the chronicles of our national heritage." The textbooks that are immediately affected by the agreement are Holt, Rinehart and Winston's Call to Freedom and Harcourt Brace School's Harcourt Brace Social Studies. Web resources available exclusively from the Smithsonian Institution, such as exhibits of Thomas Edison's inventions and Mathew Brady's photographs, directly complement each textbook. The combination of textbooks and Smithsonian Web materials will give students and teachers ccess to a range of primary source materials, virtual tours, and online exhibits that enrich history and social studies learning experiences. Fitness Expert Becomes Personal Trainer on Sportsline USA With an eye on capturing the exploding health and fitness audience on the Web, Sportsline USA, Inc., publisher of CBS SportsLine, has entered into an exclusive arrangement with fitness expert and former Ms. Fitness USA, Minna Lessig. Through the creation of Minna.sportsline.com, web users now have direct access to one of the world's foremost authorities on health, fitness and nutrition. Minna.sportsline.com features unique content designed to educate, motivate and entertain Web surfers. Exercise, diet and inspirational tips highlight the site, which also features pictorial demonstrations of key exercises for a wide range of muscle groups. The launch of minna.sportsline.com allows Minna to act as a "virtual personal trainer" to her fans around the world through scheduled chats and other interactive activities. "Bringing Minna's vast knowledge of health and fitness to the CBS SportsLine Web site adds yet another unique element to our diverse programming," said Ross Levinsohn, vice president, programming of SportsLine USA, Inc. "SportsLine USA has a history of aligning itself with superstars in each sport, and Minna is no exception. We believe her expertise and advice will become a great asset for online users around the world." "I am very happy that SportsLine USA has provided me with the platform to share my knowledge of health and fitness with the world," said Minna. " I hope this site serves to motivate and inspire people everywhere into adopting a more active, healthy lifestyle." 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