|
|
writenews.com
|
Friday, March 1, 2002 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs Publishing Industry Soundbytes Launches and Redesigns | Miscellaneous People · David Hills has been named chief operating officer at About, Inc. He continues in his previous position as President, Sales at About. Prior to joining About.com in 2001, he held a variety of senior level executive positions at both Cox Broadcasting and Cox Interactive Media. · Ziff Davis Media Inc. announced the appointment of Jasmine Alexander as Senior Vice President, Sales Planning and Analysis. She was formerly Vice President of Operations at OpenGlobe, an entertainment-services and media device-technologies provider delivering home entertainment. She will report directly to Bart Catalane, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. In her new role, Ms. Alexander will manage all facets of sales analysis and reporting, including the development and implementation of the company's new sales CRM system. · Tim Peterman, a media industry financial strategist and, most recently, chief financial officer for the cable television division at USA Networks Inc., has been named vice president of corporate development for The E. W. Scripps Company, effective March 1. In the newly created position, Peterman will coordinate strategic planning and corporate development and will help the various Scripps operating divisions in their development efforts. · Viant Corp., a provider of digital business solutions, announced that Jerrold (Jerry) Brandt has joined the company. He will be responsible for establishing and developing relationships between Viant and publishing, music, entertainment, broadcast and sports companies, primarily on the West Coast. Brandt joins Viant from a prior position at KPMG, where he served as national executive director of the Digital Media Business Incubator, providing strategic advisory services for the initiation, development, and refinement of digital business ventures. · Karen J. Lynn will join Maytag Corporation as vice president of communications March 4. She will report to Hake and be responsible for internal and external communications activities. Prior to joining Maytag, Lynn was vice president of corporate communications for ConAgra Foods, Inc., a consumer products food company based in Omaha, Neb., which manufactures and markets products under brand names such as Healthy Choice, Hunt's, Banquet and Butterball. · Universal Pictures has renewed the contract of Rick Finkelstein, president and chief operating officer of Universal Pictures, for five more years, it was announced by Stacey Snider, chairman, Universal Pictures. His contract extension comes on the heels of renewed five-year pacts with Ms. Snider, as well as Universal Studios President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Meyer. Digital Publishing · EE Times, an electronics industry news source for engineers and technical managers, announced a new delivery option of its technology and business news, analysis and design information. Starting March 11, 2002, EE Times will introduce a full, electronic version of the newspaper, available for download. This version, called EE Times Digital, is an Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the entire issue, complete with advertisements. Utilizing qMags technology by Qiosk.com, a developer and deliverer of electronic media, to produce EE Times Digital, readers can get a high-quality, version of EE Times first thing Monday morning, before the postal delivery. · OverDrive, Inc., a provider of ebook technologies announced the expansion of its global digital content network into the UK academic publishing and textbook markets. Through a strategic partnership with swotbooks.com, a UK academic Internet bookseller, OverDrive will increase market coverage and reselling of its Digital Content Marketplaces for UK publishers and booksellers. The swotbooks.com ebookstore will launch in early spring 2002. Content Deals · The May Department Stores Company and The Knot Inc. announced a strategic marketing alliance that will link the wedding planning site, TheKnot.com, to the wedding gift registry sites of May's department store companies. With a $5 million strategic investment, May has also purchased a 19.5% interest in The Knot, which has over 2.3 million registered members. May will also have representation on The Knot's board of directors. May and The Knot will implement a multi-platform marketing campaign to promote May's department store companies. These promotions will include online advertising and in-store promotions, direct mail and email campaigns, and advertisements in The Knot's magazines, The Knot Wedding Gowns and Weddingpages. · Warner Music Group (WMG) and edel music AG announced that WMG has acquired three music publishing companies, Dizzy Heights Music Publishing Ltd., Glissando Music Ltd. and Megasongs Publishing A/S, from edel music AG. Launches and Redesigns · Beginning in March of 2002, specialty retailer The Wet Seal, Inc. will launch SEAL TV, an in-house fashion and entertainment network. SEAL TV will be launched in 210 Wet Seal stores, currently equipped with television monitors that air music videos. The Wet Seal, Inc. will wire all stores company-wide to air SEAL TV by the end of 2002. SEAL TV will feature original programming, exclusive video footage, music videos and interviews. The network will also feature exclusive Wet Seal celebrity programming, beginning with Maverick recording artist Michelle Branch. · The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education has launched "The Black Journalists Movement," an online oral history project that gives voice to black journalists recalling their struggle to integrate white newsrooms. Culled from videotaped interviews with some of the nation's most prominent journalists, the collection serves as a reminder of the important contributions made by journalists of color. Miscellaneous · Primedia Inc., a targeted media company, announced that it has completed the sale of its Modern Bride Group for total cash consideration of $52 million to Conde Nast Publications. Primedia announced the sale of Modern Bride to Conde Nast on January 14, 2002, as part of its ongoing plan to sell non-core assets and reduce debt. · Riverhead Books, a division of Penguin Putnam, has acquired the rights to publish a book derived from the personal journals of the musician Kurt Cobain, the former leader for the Seattle-based rock group Nirvana. World rights were acquired in a pre-emptive bid accepted by David Vigliano of Vigliano Associates, Ltd. on behalf of the estate of Kurt Cobain. Riverhead plans to publish the as yet untitled work in hardcover in late 2002, Julie Grau, co-editorial director of the imprint announced. The journals, which consist of 23 notebooks containing some 800 pages of Cobain's writings, lyrics, and drawings, commence prior to the group's formation and continue through to 1994, the year of his death. 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. |
