|
|
writenews.com
|
Friday, February 8, 2002 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs Publishing Industry Soundbytes Launches and Redesigns | Miscellaneous People · Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble.com, announced the appointment of Marie J. Toulantis to the position of chief executive officer, effective immediately. Ms. Toulantis had been president and chief operating officer of Barnes & Noble.com since May 2001, and previously served as the company's chief financial officer. Barnes & Noble.com also appointed Kevin Frain as chief financial officer, effective immediately. Mr. Frain will be responsible for the company's finance and investor relations functions, and will report directly to Marie Toulantis. · Rich Ross has been named to the newly created post of President, Entertainment, Disney Channel, a division of the ABC Cable Networks Group, it was announced by Anne Sweeney, President, ABC Cable Networks Group and Disney Channel Worldwide, to whom Ross reports. Ross oversees all creative development, programming and production for Disney Channel. Departments he oversees are programming, production, scheduling, marketing, advertising, promotion, on-air promotion and channel directed online activities. · Jenette Kahn will be stepping down by the end of the year from running DC Comics and MAD Magazine to focus on new creative pursuits, including the publishing of her first book, it was announced by Barry M. Meyer, Chairman & CEO, Warner Bros. DC Comics is a division of Warner Bros. Kahn celebrated her 26th year with the comic book publisher on February 2. She joined DC Comics in 1976 as Publisher and five years later was promoted to President and Editor-in-Chief, a post she has held since that time. Paul Levitz, a twenty-nine-year DC Comics veteran and writer of more than 300 published comic book stories, has been named as the new President & Publisher, DC Comics. · Bio-IT World, Inc., IDG's new business unit established to support the rapidly emerging technology information needs of the life sciences market, announced the appointment of six senior editorial staff members to its new publication, Bio-IT World. John Russell has been appointed as executive editor and John Dodge as executive editor for information technology. Bio-IT World has also named Malorye Branca as senior editor for informatics; Salvatore Salamone as senior technology editor; Mark Grabenya as art director and Catherine Varmazis as web editor. · Spa Finder, a source for spa information and publisher of Spa Finder Magazine, announced several key executive hires and advancements, including naming Josh McCarter Chief Operating Officer. · American Lawyer Media, Inc. (ALM), a legal journalism and information company, announced the promotion of Michaela Apruzzese to the new position of Publisher at The National Law Journal (NLJ). Ms. Apruzzese, currently Group Associate Publisher for the company's National Magazine Division, will oversee circulation, advertising and directory sales activity for the weekly newspaper, as well as for ALM's Litigation Services Division. · Defense News, a weekly global source for news and analysis of politics, business and technology of defense, has named veteran aerospace journalist, Andrew Chuter as the new European Editor of Defense News and DefenseNews.com. Chuter became news editor of Flight International in 1989. Before that, he was a reporter and then news editor of Jane's Defence Weekly, and a reporter for Interavia, a monthly aerospace magazine based in Geneva. · Data Depth Corporation, d.b.a. iCopyright.com, has announced that it has hired Bart Gutekunst as executive vice president in charge of corporate development. Gutekunst has extensive experience as an investment banker, equity investor and senior manager. · Consumer WebWatch, a Consumers Union nonprofit research project, announced the formation of its advisory board, drawn from leaders in online news and media, academia and the ecommerce and consumer advocacy communities. The advisory board assists and guides Consumer WebWatch on how it will achieve its goal to improve credibility and consumer trust in websites, and how it can reach out to information professionals that are key decision-makers on website policies. Consumer WebWatch will launch its website in spring 2002, which will be home to its research and analysis on issues of credibility, usability, and content, along with news of use to consumers navigating the Web. Consumer WebWatch is a project of Consumers Union, the non-profit publisher of Consumer Reports magazine and Consumer Reports.org. · Ziff Davis Media Inc. announced the promotion of Brian Gleason to Publisher of eWeek, an enterprise newsweekly. eWeek is an information source for enterprise IT professionals, providing news and technology reviews weekly in print and on the Web. Mr. Gleason was previously National Associate Publisher of eWeek. · Salon Media Group, Inc., a new media company, announced the appointment of Cheryl Lucanegro to senior vice president, advertising sales. Ms. Lucanegro, a 25-year sales and advertising veteran, has previously held executive positions at Standard Media International (publisher of The Industry Standard), Ziff Davis and Upside Media. · Time Inc. named Terry McDonell Managing Editor of Sports Illustrated to succeed Bill Colson, who will step down after six years as SI's top editor at the conclusion of the Winter Olympics. The announcement was made by Time Inc. Editor-in-Chief Norman Pearlstine and Editorial Director John Huey. McDonell, the current editor-in-chief of Wenner Media's US Weekly, is an editor, writer and publishing executive with wide experience in various media. In his first act, McDonell announced that he would be promoting SI Executive Editor David Bauer to the position of Deputy Managing Editor. Bauer, who joined SI in 1987 after five years as editor of Sport magazine, is the founding and current editor of SI Presents, which produces all of SI's special publications, including the popular championship commemoratives. · ScreamingMedia, a provider of information management products and services, announced the appointment of John Sculley, the former CEO of Apple Computer Inc. and president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola Company, to its board of directors. · AOL Time Warner Inc. announced that John K. Martin, Jr. has been appointed the company's vice president of investor relations. Lynn Forbes has been named director of FineLiving.com, a component of Scripps Networks' new multi-platform lifestyle network Fine Living, which is scheduled for launch in March 2002. In this newly created position, Forbes is responsible for the overall direction of Fine Living's Web service, managing day-to-day operations, including coordinating all staff and leading efforts to create new ideas and functionality. · Will J. Wright has been named Executive Producer for BET Nightly News in an announcement by Nina Henderson Moore, BET Senior Vice President for News, Public Affairs and Programming Acquisitions; and John Frazee, Senior Vice President, News Services, CBS News. Wright's appointment is effective immediately. Wright will be responsible for BET Nightly News, the flagship weekday evening news program of the BET Network anchored by Jacque Reid. Beginning Monday, February 25, the program -- including its studio, primary newsroom and staff -- will be headquartered in the CBS Broadcast Center in New York. Digital Publishing · Toppan Printing Company, Ltd., a provider of color filter arrays in the flat panel display industry, and E Ink Corporation, a developer and marketer of electronic ink technology for paper-like displays, announced at a press conference in Tokyo a major investment in E Ink by Toppan and the significant expansion of their strategic partnership to commercialize electronic paper. Under terms of the partnership, Toppan will manufacture front plane laminate (FPL) products for E Ink's active matrix graphical displays business using electronic ink supplied by E Ink. Toppan also will become E Ink's distributor of the FPL product to Japan-based TFT display makers. Additionally, Toppan expands upon its initial May 2001 investment of $5 million in E Ink with an additional $25 million. Content Deals · Business.com, a search engine and directory focused on business, has launched an agreement with Cahners Business Information to provide its business Internet search results to Cahners' Manufacturing.net and e-Insite's users. · Lagardere Active announced that ELLE.com has teamed with MSNBC.com, an Internet news site, to conduct a comprehensive survey about sex and romance in the office. The survey, polling both female and male respondents, 18 and older, went live on ELLE.com and MSNBC.com on January 15, 2002 and will continue through the end of February. Results of the survey will be posted in the June 2002 issue of ELLE and also will be published online on MSNBC.com during the first week of May 2002. Launches and Redesigns · Disney has launched its FamilyFun.com website. The website combines Disney's family magazine (FamilyFun) with its family website. Both products focus on innovative activities for families and practical ideas for busy parents. Published by Buena Vista Magazines, Inc., a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide, FamilyFun, presently with a circulation of 1.55 million, is the largest magazine targeting families with children 3-12 years old. · The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com has unveiled a complete revamp. The year-long, $28 million project is anchored by a new technology infrastructure. Some new features include exclusive online columns by some of The Wall Street Journal's writers including Tom Herman, Scott McCartney, Steve McKee, Sue Shellenbarger, Kara Swisher, David Wessel and Joe White; new personalization tools which allow subscribers to track their portfolios, follow indexes and view headlines, articles and other information; and home page modules which allow subscribers to choose the regional edition of The Wall Street Journal they want presented to them and which sections they would like to appear on the front page. · Hasbro, Inc. has unveiled its line of toys and games based on the film Star Wars Episode II at the American International Toy Fair in New York City. Hasbro's exclusive product line is scheduled to become available at retailers nationwide on April 23. Hasbro's 2002 product line includes toys and games across a broad array of categories, including action figures and vehicles, role-play sets, board games, hand-held electronics and trading card games. · Knight Ridder Digital, the operator of the Real Cities network of local media websites, has announced the deployment of its new digital publishing platform and a new design for its network of regional websites. Knight Ridder Digital said the new technology allows it to bring efficiency to its electronic publishing operations while presenting online advertisers with access to local markets across the nation. The new design and technology are visible now on Knight Ridder Digital-operated sites such as KansasCity.com, Philly.com and Miami.com. Miscellaneous · The Jim Beam Rock Band Search is moving from six years of regional on-premises battle-of-the-band events to a national online band search. To achieve these goals, Jim Beam looked to RollingStone.com and Rolling Stone magazine, to provide the next crop of emerging artists. The Jim Beam Rock Band Search can be found at jimbeammusic.com. · Technology Review, an MIT Enterprise, announced the redesign of its website, technologyreview.com, which includes the addition of a premium content service. New additions to technologyreview.com are its content options (both free access and premium-priced), its "knowledge products" (custom research reports and briefs); forums and polls for the emerging technology community; syndicated technology news, and a variety of new, weekly opt-in newsletters. · CBS has acquired the rights to present an exclusive insider's account -- featuring never-before-broadcast video -- of the World Trade Center attack from French filmmakers Gedeon and Jules Naudet, it was announced by Leslie Moonves, President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS. The eyewitness story will be broadcast in a two-hour CBS Special Presentation, Sunday, March 10 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. On Sept. 11, brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet were in lower Manhattan taping a documentary on the Engine 7, Ladder 1 firefighters when Jules suddenly heard a roar from above and turned his camera upward. In doing so, he captured the only known video of the first plane striking the World Trade Center. Cameras still rolling, Jules followed the firefighters into the heart of what would soon be known as Ground Zero. Gedeon also rushed to the scene with members of Ladder 1. Over the next several hours, Gedeon and Jules Naudet captured video unlike any broadcast since, including 45 minutes of footage from inside the North Tower as the rescue effort was underway and dramatic scenes of escape in the minutes before the building collapsed. · On July 31, 2002, in honor of Harry Potter's birthday, Scholastic will release the paperback edition of J.K. Rowling's fourth Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. With a first printing of 2.5 million, the publication of this paperback brings the total number of Harry Potter books in print to 65 million. The hardcover edition of J.K. Rowling's fourth title, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, hit bookstores at midnight on July 8, 2000. With an unprecedented initial print run of 3.8 million, the book broke all industry records by selling nearly 3 million copies in its first week, sending Scholastic back to press for an additional 3 million copies. 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. |
