|
|
writenews.com
|
Wednesday, February 17, 1999 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs Hachette Filipacchi Magazines Announces David J. Pecker Resigns as President and CEO Gerald de Roquemaurel, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Hachette Filipacchi Medias, and Daniel Filipacchi, Chairman, Hachette Filipacchi Magazines, have announced that David J. Pecker will step down from his role as President and CEO of Hachette Filipacchi Magazines and CEO of Grolier, Inc. Mr. Pecker, who will remain at HFM through March 3lst, is leaving to pursue other interests. A successor will be announced at a later date. Following David's departure, day-to-day operations will be overseen by Daniel Filipacchi, assisted by Jean-Louis Ginibre, Senior Executive Vice President and Editorial Director; John Fennell, Executive Vice President and COO; and John T. O'Connor, Senior Vice President, CFO and Treasurer. From the company headquarters in Paris, Gerald de Roquemaurel said, "Under David's leadership, our American subsidiary has become a first-rate media organization, poised for continued growth in the future through its magazine, new media and production divisions. For the last ten years, his contribution to Hachette Filipacchi Magazines has been invaluable. We wish David continued success in his future endeavors." "Hachette Filipacchi Magazines has moved from being the eighth to the third largest U.S. magazine publisher, based on advertising pages," said Daniel Filipacchi from his office in New York City. "David's contribution has been considerable." Mr. Pecker joined CBS Inc. in 1979 as Manager, Financial Reporting, and was named Assistant Controller in 1983. In 1987 he was named Vice President, Controller of Diamandis Communications Inc. after the company was acquired from CBS Inc. In 1990, he was named Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer for Hachette Magazines, Inc., formerly Diamandis Communications Inc. Mr. Pecker was appointed President of Hachette Magazines, Inc. in 1991 and Chief Executive Officer in 1992. Tap Magazine and E-Book Publisher Peanut Press Join Forces Tap Magazine, a print publication for PalmPilot and WorkPad Users, and Peanut Press, publisher of electronic books for the PalmPilot and WorkPad, have announced the introduction of "E-Tap"-an electronic version of the magazine that readers can carry in their handheld devices. "Since day one, users have been asking us for a secondary edition of Tap that they could read on their PalmPilots," said Rick Broida, Tap's editor and publisher. "We are delighted to honor those requests, having found the perfect delivery vehicle in Peanut Press." "Joining forces with Tap Magazine, the premiere publication for the PalmPilot audience, is a perfect way for Peanut Press to offer new and exciting content to our readers," said Mark Reichelt, CEO of Peanut Press. A bimonthly magazine, Tap covers the PalmPilot: hardware, software, accessories, tips and tricks and advice for beginners. The first issue of E-Tap corresponds with issue 2.0 of the print edition, and contains the full text of the latter. E-Tap also has several extra reviews not found in the print version. "We wanted to give readers a little bonus," Broida said, "and the best way to do that is with added content." Subsequent issues of E-Tap will also include previously unpublished extras. The seven currently available back issues of Tap may be offered at a later date. Miller Freeman, Inc. Announces Launch of DesignShops.com Website Miller Freeman has announced the launch of DesignShops.com. The site is aimed at the Web design and consulting community, the companies in the market for these services, and Web design professionals. DesignShops.com gives visitors access to a population of like professionals, whereby personal contacts can be made and ideas, insights and experiences can be shared. The site provides a backdrop for design shops to market their services, and for prospective clients to view their work and capabilities. Also planned for DesignShops.com are business-to-business interaction and transaction capabilities, interviews with designers and consulting principals, listings of graphics and authoring tools, industry profiles (salary comparisons, industry size, and recruitment), and other features. "We are committed to identifying and serving the needs of this community and showcasing its members -- their projects, insights, and lessons learned," says Bob Kaehms, Editor-in-Chief of Designshops.com and Web Techniques magazine. "Our 800-plus registered design shops have expressed solid support for such a central site." Teen Magazine Names Tommi Lewis Editor-In-Chief Tommi Lewis has been appointed Editor-in-Chief of Teen magazine. The announcement was made today by Lynn Lehmkuhl, the President of the Petersen Youth Group, part of EMAP Petersen. Ms. Lewis replaces Roxanne Camron, who is resigning after 25 years as the magazine's Editor-in-Chief, but who will remain with Teen in a consulting capacity. Lynn Lehmkuhl said, "Tommi takes over Teen magazine at a high point in its history, which includes a recent rate base increase to 2,000,000, coupled with six consecutive months of growth in newsstand sales. Tommi's close relationship with the entertainment community, plus her years of working in the kids and teen entertainment arena, make her uniquely qualified to lead Teen magazine to further heights." Tommi Lewis said, "There's never been a better time to be a teen than now. We've had the years of the 50 +, the baby boomers, and the Gen Xers, but it's now the dawn of the teen era. The teen market is a driving force in fashion, electronics, communication, and entertainment. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to edit a magazine that reaches millions of teens, and I look forward to giving them a guide which will help them be an even stronger force in the millennium." Ms. Lewis joined Teen in August 1998 as Editor-at-Large, where her responsibilities included overseeing the magazine's celebrity coverage. Prior to joining Teen, Ms. Lewis was the Executive Editor of LIVE! Magazine, an entertainment publication which she helped to launch in 1995. Previously, she was the Editor-in-Chief of Sassy Magazine following Petersen Publishing's purchase of the magazine in 1994. Ms. Lewis has also held positions as the Children's Publishing Editorial Director at Walt Disney Publishing company, where she was the Editor-in-Chief of Disney Adventures; Editorial Director of Radio Guide Magazine; Executive Editor of Japan Journal Magazine, and Executive Editor, Magazine Development, for Petersen Publishing. Ms. Lewis is also the author of five books. Online Version of Deadalus Integrated Writing Environment Announced Addison Wesley Longman(AWL), The Daedalus Group and Headland Digital Media have formed an alliance to launch Daedalus Online, the next generation of the Daedalus Integrated Writing Environment (DIWE). Daedalus Online, a collaborative writing and composition environment, extends DIWE's features from a local area network to the Internet. Available to educators this fall, Daedalus Online can be purchased either as a stand-alone publication or integrated within online versions of handbooks such as The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers and The Little, Brown Handbook. "This alliance reinforces our leadership position in the distance learning market," said Jim Behnke, vice president, director of new media, Addison Wesley Longman. "We are proving that text- and web-based mediums can work together by integrating the ground breaking pedagogical work of Daedalus, the top-selling Longman texts, and Headland's technological expertise." Using Daedalus Online, students can improve their composition skills by exploring online resources and learning to write in a collaborative, computer-mediated environment outside the classroom. Educators can take advantage of a comprehensive suite of online course management tools for managing an online class, dynamically linking assignments, and facilitating a heuristic approach for writing instruction. HarperCollins Announces Plans to Acquire the Ecco Press Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers today announced that HarperCollins will purchase The Ecco Press. Ecco's publisher and co-founder Daniel Halpern will join HarperCollins as Vice President, Editorial Director of this new imprint and will also serve as Executive Editor of the HarperCollins Adult Trade Division. In awarding Halpern the PEN Publisher's Citation Award in 1993, the Award Committee stated that "In the more than 20 years since Daniel Halpern conceived of a magazine, Antaeus and a publishing house, The Ecco Press, he has consistently published work not only of the highest literary quality, but also work whose cultural relevance has endured. The vision and focus brought to (Ecco) have not altered or compromised in all the years of publishing and economic vicissitudes." Halpern will report to Cathy Hemming, Executive Vice President and Publisher of HarperCollins. "This is a very exciting development for HarperCollins. Over the last few years we have strengthened our financial position and are poised to take advantage of strategic growth opportunities," said Friedman. "The Ecco Press, with a superb backlist of literary fiction, nonfiction and poetry, is widely regarded as one of the most important literary publishers worldwide and is a valuable addition to our company. Ecco authors have won every major international literary award -- as well as all the major book prizes in this country. We have a tremendous respect for Ecco's superior reputation and feel it will be a great complement to our own rich literary publishing program. Dan brings an extraordinary publishing acumen along with an esteemed list of authors to enhance and support our efforts." The acquisition will become effective as of July 1. The Ecco list includes such acclaimed authors as John Ashbery, Paul Bowles, Italo Calvino, Gerald Early, Richard Ford, Louise Gluck, Robert Hass, Zbigniew Herbert, Bobbi Ann Mason, Cormac McCarthy, Nobel Laureate Czeslaw Milosz, Joyce Carol Oates, and Tobias Wolff. In addition, Halpern will publish his first books with HarperCollins starting in January, 2000. Golden Books Announces Debut of goldenbooks.com Golden Books Family Entertainment has announced the launch of its newly re-designed website, www.goldenbooks.com. The revamped site now directly targets the demands of the consumer by answering the needs of parents, children and collectors. Golden Books intends to further build on the site over the next few months. "With Golden Books' 97% brand awareness and trust factor, we're one of the first destinations for parents looking to buy children's books on-line. We're committed to providing both the technological and marketing support needed to successfully partner with electronic retailers," said Patty Sullivan, EVP Managing Director of Golden Books Special Markets. Rich Collins, chief operating officer of Golden Books Family Entertainment, said, "The strength of the Golden Books brand draws our customers to our website. After they arrive and surf around, they tell us they want to buy our books, and that's where our relationships with Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com. Azazz.com, and other family toy and book-selling sites come in. We want to provide our customers with the opportunity to buy our best books on-line through easy links to both electronic retailers and traditional retailers like Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target." Golden Books Family Entertainment, Inc., is the leading children's book publisher in North America. The Company owns one of the world's largest libraries of family entertainment copyrights. Its extensive library includes The Lone Ranger, Lassie, Underdog, Little Lulu, The Poky Little Puppy, Pat the Bunny, popular holiday animated programs, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman and the Shari Lewis Enterprises Library. New DVD Resource Site Launches Geoffrey Kleinman, President of Kleinman.com and Editor of The Kleinman Report, has announced the launch of DVDTalk.com - a new website geared at a growing number of DVD owners and enthusiasts who shop online. DVDTalk.com features a regular update on DVD bargains, breaking DVD news, information, and a listing of the week's top ten selling DVD titles. This past December, DVD burst in to the mainstream, breaking the 1 million player shipped (source: Consumer Electronic Manufacturers Association). This event intersected an explosion of online holiday shopping, creating an instant new market for DVD's. Many online retailers jumped at this opportunity in an attempt to try to do for DVD's what Amazon.com has done for books. Within months, many of them passed the 1 million DVD movie sales mark. "I noticed that the boom in online shopping was creating some amazing deals for DVD's with discounts routinely at 50% off MSRP," says Geoffrey Kleinman, creator of DVDTalk.com. "I realized that the average consumer wasn't aware of these great deals, so I created DVDTalk.com for people to learn about these great bargains, and exchange DVD tips, news and information". DVDTalk is the latest venture from Internet veteran Geoffrey Kleinman, editor of The Kleinman Report. A monthly report distributed to over 8,000 subscribers, it follows the growth of the Internet and technology. 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. |
