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Thursday, January 28, 1999 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs Yahoo! to Acquire GeoCities Yahoo! Inc. has announced it has signed an agreement to acquire GeoCities a leader in personal publishing tools and Web-based communities. The acquisition combines two of the largest and most popular services on the Internet. With more than 3.5 million sites authored and hosted on GeoCities, the company has built one of the Web's largest communities. GeoCities.com has a combined home/work reach of 33.4 percent (Media Metrix, December 1998). With the addition of GeoCities to the Yahoo! network, the companies expect their combined unduplicated home/work reach to exceed 58 percent, which would make it the second largest network of properties on the Web. "GeoCities has built the Web's most popular and widely used community," said Tim Koogle, chairman and CEO, Yahoo!. "Through this acquisition, we are accelerating our global leadership position by combining two of the Web's strongest brands and most heavily used services into one powerful offering." "We are thrilled to be joining the Yahoo! team," said Tom Evans, president and CEO of GeoCities. "This combination will allow us to accelerate our offerings to GeoCities and Yahoo! users worldwide." Women.com and Hearst Join Forces to Form Online Network for Women Women.com Networks and Hearst New Media & Technology have announced the formation of the largest online network for women. Hearst and Women.com Networks will each own approximately 50 percent of the new enterprise, which will include the Women.com network and the HomeArts.com network. The joint venture will be called Women.com Networks. The Hearst joint venture with Women.com includes several assets in addition to HomeArts.com. These include distribution rights for the Hearst women's magazine sites; promotion in Hearst's leading women's magazines; on-air promotion from Hearst's television properties and interests (which include Lifetime, A&E, The History Channel, and the Hearst-Argyle group of network-affiliated television stations); capital; and Astronet, an online astrology site which was recently acquired by Hearst. The 10 Hearst magazine sites to be distributed by Women.com Networks are Cosmopolitan, Country Living, Country Living Gardener, Country Living's Healthy Living, Good Housekeeping, Harper's BAZAAR, House Beautiful, Redbook, Town & Country and Victoria. Hearst magazines reach 48 million women each month. Marleen McDaniel, current president and CEO of Women.com Networks, will hold the roles of CEO, President and Chairperson in the new company. Kathryn Creech, currently general manager of HomeArts, will assume the role of Senior Vice President and General Manager of the HomeArts division in Women.com Networks. Hearst and Women.com will each have four members on the Women.com board of directors. The company's headquarters will remain in San Mateo, Calif. with significant operations in New York City. "Women.com and HomeArts have each built compelling services and strong interactive businesses. This combination will deliver increased value to our audience, as well as to the advertisers who want to reach women - the most important market on the Web." explained CEO McDaniel. "The cross media synergies that Hearst brings to the venture add an exciting new dimension to the new Women.com Networks." Frank A. Bennack, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hearst Corporation, said, "Both HomeArts and Women.com have built impressive and promising online franchises. The combination of the companies will provide women with the largest and most comprehensive portfolio of services and brands anywhere on the Web. We believe that Hearst's strong magazine brands have been and will continue to be a powerful attraction to women on the Internet." Alex Mironovich Named President of Playboy Publishing Group Playboy Enterprises Inc. has announced the appointment of Alex Mironovich as president of the Publishing Group and executive vice president of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (PEI), effective Feb. 1, 1999. As president of Playboy's Publishing Group, Mironovich will be responsible for Playboy magazine, its 17 overseas editions and extensions of the Playboy brand, such as books, newsstand specials, and calendars. Mironovich joins Playboy from Meredith Corporation, where he most recently served as Publisher of Better Homes and Gardens and Group Publisher of Northwest Traveler and Mature Outlook. He joined Meredith in 1993, as associate publisher of Better Homes and Garden and, in 1995, as publisher. In September 1998, he was appointed to his current position. "Alex brings us a strong combination of business acumen and creativity," said Christie A. Hefner, chairman and chief executive officer of Playboy Enterprises. "His success in nurturing and building the Better Homes and Gardens brand will translate well to PEI, particularly because of Playboy magazine's unique role in shaping the identity and strength of our brand. As a senior officer of Meredith, he also understands the importance of leveraging that brand value for consumers, advertisers and stockholders alike." Jay Leno Named Contributing Editor At Popular Mechanics The Tonight Show host, Jay Leno, is adding another gig to his already busy schedule. Leno was named contributing editor today of Popular Mechanics and will be turning his passion for cars and motorcycles into a bi-Monthly column for the magazine. The bi-Monthly column, "Jay Leno's Garage," will debut in the March 1999 issue, available on newsstands on February 9, 1999. In his column Jay will be talking about cars, motorcycles, collecting -- and "anything else that pops into his head!" "Jay's zest for cars and motorcycles make him the ideal choice to pen this new column for our magazine," said Joe Oldham, editor-in-chief, Popular Mechanics. "He knows firsthand what car enthusiasts are interested in and we're excited to learn from him on our pages. Funnyman Jay will be tackling a subject that is one of the highest-rated areas of interest to our readers. He also has his own unique perspective on current culture in general, and that will be part of his beat for Popular Mechanics." "Many people know how much I love my automobile and motorcycle collection. I'm looking forward to sharing my own experiences on the joy of cars, a favorite subject of mine," said Leno. "I hope to give readers a real inside look into what goes on in 'Jay Leno's Garage.'" Preschoolers Can Walk on the Wild Side With Launch of "Zoboomafoo" Website PBS Online has announced Zoboomafoo, a website designed to introduce preschoolers to the world of animals. The website is the online companion to PBS's new daily children's series of the same name, created by and starring wildlife filmmakers and educators Chris Kratt and Martin Kratt. Set in Animal Junction, an animal watering hole in the middle of the woods, the site closely resembles the look of the television program. With the Kratt Brothers' playful co-star -- a talking Madagascan lemur nicknamed "Zoboo" -- acting as a tour guide, the site incorporates sound and animation to create an imaginative and fun experience for visitors. Other program characters are also present throughout the site to help guide children during their visit. "The website gives us the opportunity to reach out to kids and extend the core activity of the Zoboomafoo television program -- making friends with animals -- to a medium that allows considerable interactivity," said Chris Kratt. "Through interactive game play, we hope to expand preschoolers' knowledge and understanding of the animals they love, and exercise their problem-solving abilities along the way." PBS Online, PBS's site on the World Wide Web, produces high-quality Web programming as it pioneers the convergence of television and the Internet. PBS Online features more than 65,000 pages of content as well as companion Web sites for more than 300 PBS programs and specials. The Zoboomafoo website is accessible through the PBS Kids neighborhood, the most popular area on PBS Online. 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. 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