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Wednesday, October 27th, 1999 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs HarperCollins Acquires Amistad Press HarperCollins Publishers has announced that it has acquired assets of Amistad Press, a publisher of works by and about African Americans. Charles F. Harris, Amistad's founder and publisher, will join HarperCollins as Vice President, Editorial Director of this new imprint and as an Executive Editor of the HarperCollins General Books Group. He will report to Cathy Hemming, President and Publisher of the HarperCollins General Books Group. "This is a significant and exciting opportunity for HarperCollins. We have great respect for Charles and for all he has accomplished with Amistad Press over the last 13 years. He has provided many authors with an opportunity to publish important books of special interest to the African-American community," said Jane Friedman, President and CEO of HarperCollins Publishers. "Charles brings his distinguished reputation and singular publishing experience to HarperCollins where his work will enhance and strengthen our rich tradition of African-American publishing. We are thrilled to provide Charles with a framework to continue his meaningful work." Harris founded Amistad Press in 1986 to specialize in the works of African-American authors and books on African American themes. Its publishing program includes works by Arthur R. Ashe, Susan Taylor, Congressman William L. Clay, as well as the critically acclaimed Amistad Literary Series which features critical studies of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker and Toni Morrison. Harris began his publishing career in 1956 at Doubleday & Company where, in 1965, as editor in Doubleday's Publishing Division he launched the Zenith Book Series for elementary school students, the first series in the U.S. to present the history of America's minorities. He later worked for John Wiley & Sons and Random House. At Random House, he launched Amistad, a paperback magazine for college humanities and social sciences courses published in 1970. In 1971, he was recruited to create and manage the Howard University Press, where he served as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Publishing Operations until 1986. In addition, Harris established the Howard University Press Publishing Institute for students interested in pursuing publishing careers. Incite Hits Newsstands Computer Media U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of a leading European media publisher, Computer Media AG, has launched incite -- a brand of lifestyle game publications. incite PC Gaming and incite Video Gaming are both available now at newsstands. The company has also launched a DVD magazine subscription -- incite PC Gaming DVD -- as well as one online consumer destination, incitegames.com. "incite is bursting onto the U.S. media scene with the most in-depth, entertainment-oriented gaming coverage around," said Torsten Oppermann, chief executive officer, Computec Media U.S., Inc. "Our goal is to be the leading media provider of electronic entertainment. incite's winning combination of the new DVD component, our celebrity and lifestyle content, worldwide distribution and mainstream brand will create an exciting chapter in the world of gaming." incite PC Gaming guarantees a rate base of 400,000 and incite Video Gaming guarantees a rate base of 450,000. Computer Media, will also launch both magazines in more than 45 different countries through international distributor Worldwide Media Services. IDG Launches New Publications in Sweden, Germany International Data Group (IDG) has announced the launch of two new publications in Europe. These new titles -- NetworkWorld Germany and Personal Companion World in Sweden - bring the total of IDG publications worldwide to more than 290. NetworkWorld Germany, which debuted on October 15, is targeted at IT professionals responsible for the planning, building and administration of speech and data networks. NetworkWorld Germany features a range of topics including LAN/WAN technologies, network operating systems, server hardware, databases, computer-telephony integration, ISDN technologies and telecommunications systems. The tabloid publication will appear every two weeks, with 21 issues per year. Personal Companion World, IDG Sweden's 16th publication, debuts November 25 in distribution with MikroDatorn, a member of the PC World global family of publications. Personal Companion World is targeted at the mobile technology market segment. The market includes mobile platforms, such as palm or handheld devices, and other wireless technologies. MSNBC.com Signs Distribution Agreements with Feed Magazine and E! Online MSNBC.com has announced a content distribution agreement with Feed magazine and E! Online. Feed magazine and E! Online join The Wall Street Journal, APB News and ZDNet as specialty news suppliers to MSNBC.com. "MSNBC.com is already an established news leader," said Merrill Brown, editor in chief of MSNBC.com. "Our alliance with FEED and E! Online deepens our coverage of science, technology, entertainment and celebrity news and particularly the arts -- everything from books to visual arts to music, areas where we have a growing readership. The FEED and E! Online content serves to further position us as a one-stop site for comprehensive news and features." Churm Publishing to Launch Las Vegas Family Magazine Churm Publishing, which publishes two family-oriented magazines in Southern California, has announced the premiere of a third Family publication, Las Vegas Family Magazine. The tabloid-sized monthly aimed at families with children from birth through the teen years is scheduled to debut with 50,000 copies Jan. 3, 2000. Las Vegas Family Magazine continues the company's efforts to fill a gap in media coverage of families, according to Publisher Steve Churm. Churm Publishing opened a Las Vegas office at Park 2000 in September and has hired Las Vegas native Greg Blake Miller as managing editor. Miller is working with Executive Editor Craig Reem to solidify a team of Clark County-based freelance writers and photographers to contribute to the monthly magazine. "Las Vegas Family Magazine goes beyond traditional 'parenting' editorial content that focuses on newborns, toddlers and kindergarten-age children," said Churm, a father of three children ages 9-14. "This magazine will reflect Clark County's No. 1 asset -- families. Las Vegas has long been identified almost exclusively for his gaming activities but, with its exploding growth, we've realized that first and foremost it is a family kind of town. Our magazine will speak to that important audience." Churm Publishing also publishes OC Metro Magazine, a biweekly business lifestyle magazine in Orange County, that reaches more than 424,000 readers 26 times per year. Churm Publishing is an independent company that publishes OC Family Magazine, Inland Empire Family Magazine, OC Metro Magazine, Metro Menus and a series of custom publications. Space.com Expands News Team space.com has announced that Florida Today's Todd Halvorson and CNN's Robin Lloyd have joined space.com's news team. Halvorson, former senior aerospace correspondent for Gannett's Florida Today, has been named space.com's Cape Canaveral Bureau Chief and Robin Lloyd, former senior writer for CNN Interactive, has been named space.com's Senior Science Writer based in New York. "Todd and Robin bring a creative talent and passion for space exploration to our editorial team and we look forward to their contributions to our newsgathering and news-breaking capabilities," said Lou Dobbs, Chairman and CEO of space.com. "We're thrilled to have seasoned aerospace reporter Todd Halvorson with his experience and achievements on board to lead our Cape Canaveral coverage as well as Robin Lloyd who brings a strong sense of news judgment and science knowledge to our team." Halvorson has covered NASA and commercial space programs from Cape Canaveral for the past 14 years for Florida Today. He has reported on shuttle and science missions, news on the Department of Defense and the aerospace industry. For the past 10 years, Halvorson also has written the weekly kids column, Space For Kids, which covers space and science topics for younger readers. Irene Brown, who has been serving as space.com's Cape Canaveral bureau chief since the site's launch, will be working closely with Halvorson in the bureau as a freelance correspondent, providing live shuttle coverage. Senior science writer Robin Lloyd comes to space.com from CNN.com where she covered breaking news on space and computing. This past summer, Lloyd spearheaded CNN's Apollo 11 anniversary coverage. A Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT, Lloyd also reported for the Pasadena-Star News. She received a B.A. from Smith College and a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. space.com is a website dedicated to news, information, education and entertainment focused entirely on space and space-related content. The company's corporate officers include Lou Dobbs, Chairman & CEO; Sally Ride, President; Mitchell Cannold, EVP & COO; and Alan Ladwig, Director of Washington Operations. Cygnus Publishing Changes Name To Cygnus Business Media Cygnus Publishing has announced it will change the company name to Cygnus Business Media in order to better represent their corporate properties and vision. Over the past year, Cygnus has expanded their online presence and purchased an interest in E-Markets, an Internet-based company that provides e-commerce opportunities and content to the agricultural and food industry. The company's websites service specific business-to-business market segments. "We are a fully integrated business-to-business media company with over 50 trade magazines, 18 expositions, 55 Web sites, custom media publications and e-commerce businesses that service many segments within the business-to- business community," says Gerry Hogan, chairman and CEO of the company. "It is important for all of our properties to be represented within the company name. Each is an essential part of who we are and what we have become." Crosswalk.com Launches Family Channel Crosswalk.com, Inc. has announced the official launch of its Family Channel. The new channel has been sponsored and developed by FamilyLife, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, which broadcasts daily in more than 450 markets nationwide and annually hosts more than 120 conferences designed to improve marriage relationships and parenting skills. The Family Channel includes a range of content, e-commerce, and online community offerings. Visitors will find articles, family-centered daily devotionals, RealAudio streaming broadcasts of the daily FamilyLife Today radio program, conferences, an online store and links to chat and discussion forums on crosswalk.com. "Since June, we have launched three new channels-the Family Channel, Sports Channel and Health and Wellness Channel-bringing the total channels we now offer to 11," says Crosswalk.com President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Parker. "Our ambitious channel expansion plan is on target, and we expect it not only to generate strong revenues but also to reinforce our brand identity and build a growing number of committed, loyal members." PBS Launches Website Exploring "Wonders of the African World" PBS Online has launched Wonders of the African World With Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a companion website to the documentary airing on PBS. In the program, Harvard University professor Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. challenges the widespread Western view of Africa as the primitive "dark continent" civilized by white colonists. In six one-hour programs, Dr. Gates tells of proud lands filled with great civilizations, cities and centers of learning long before any Europeans set foot there. The website will delve deeper into many themes covered in the series. General overviews of each geographical area Dr. Gates visits in the series will be provided as well as in-depth articles on African culture and history. Each African "Wonder" that Dr. Gates explores throughout the series is examined further in comprehensive articles and multimedia content. The site will launch with special contributions from poet Nikki Giovanni; former governor of Virginia L. Douglas Wilder; Public Enemy's Chuck D; and syndicated columnist Barbara Reynolds. In addition, the site features lesson plans for grades K-12. B.I.G. Hires Extreme Sports Experts Broadband Interactive Group (B.I.G.) has announced the expansion of its management dream team, including Skip Sneed, former editor of Surfing magazine. Sneed joins B.I.G. as the new editor of Wave Action, one of B.I.G.'s free sports magazines with a circulation of 150,000, and as the surfing editor of gotcha.com. Sneed brings more than seven years of editorial and industry experience to the B.I.G. team. At Surfing, he was responsible for targeting a youth audience and for creating the highly successful Vans/Surfing Air Tour. While at Surfing magazine, Sneed was also a contributing writer for major surfing publications worldwide and was an interviewer for Board Wild, a television series which currently airs on Fox Sports Net. B.I.G. recently announced a television deal with Fox Sports Net to provide a daily one-hour extreme sports program to debut Jan. 1, 2000. B.I.G. also licensed the Gotcha, MCD and GirlStar clothing brands to Gotcha Sportswear, a new company formed by Gotcha International and extreme sports apparel manufacturing veteran, Snowmass Apparel, Inc. Around the Web Beyond the Information Revolution Atlantic Monthly Battle in Hollywood Over the Tiny Web Screen MSNBC Cyber Encyclopedia: The High Road At A High Cost BookWire Does a Web Zine Network Make Business Sense? News.com Evans Leaving New York Daily News, U.S. News to Write Books AP Five Journalists to Receive Press Freedom Awards AP Fox Sees Its Young Audience Shrink As Rivals Bask In Ratings Gains Wall Street Journal Freelancers Tout Services on New Auction Site ZDNet Howard U. Works in Silence on Humor Magazine Washington Post 'Individual.Com' Replaces Former 'Newspage.Com' Brand Editor & Publisher Kelly Near megadeal With Fox, 20th TV Variety National Geographic Goes High Tech Las Vegas Sun Net is Getting Weirder USA Today The Seattle Times will switch to morning publication March 6 Seattle Times St. Martin's Editor Quits Over Bush Bok Jam! Books Tearing Up the Rules at latimes.com OJR Time Inc’s 478-Page Gorilla MediaWeek Zine Sites Linking to Get More $ NY Post 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. |
