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DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- January 17, 2003
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o XM Satellite Radio Gets $25 Million In New Financing
o AOL Time Warner Names Richard Parsons As Chairman and CEO
o ReplayTV Maker Sonicblue Seeks New Investors, Possible Sale of Company
o Game Developer Acclaim Laying Off 35% of Administrative Staff
o Report: Yahoo Considers Launching European Internet Service
> Note to Readers: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
> DMW Publications: Special Rates for DMW Subscribers
> DMW Events: Early Bird Discount - Digital Music Forum | March 3 | NYC
> Featured: USC M-Commerce Event, UCLA Extension Class
o Briefly Noted: Microsoft - Sundance Film Festival, AdBowl, Wall Street
Journal - Washington Post, 24/7 Real Media - Gannett, Mobliss - "American
Idol," AOL - Bob Dylan, Cinema-i.com, Newsbrowser
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> Events: Games & Mobile Forum: April 28 | NYC
> Marketplace: TechLink-IT Directory, Entertainment & Corporate Legal
Services, Game Industry Report, iTV Chronicle, Homeland Security
Directory, Interest-Based Navigation
Full Classifieds located beneath "Briefly Noted" section below.
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o XM Satellite Radio Gets $25 Million In New Financing
Washington, D.C. -- XM Satellite Radio, operator of a nationwide,
satellite-delivered digital radio service, announced on Friday that it has
raised $25 million in new financing, led by Everest Capital Limited. The
new funds are in addition to the company's recently announced $450 million
financing package, which consisted of $200 million in new funds from
strategic and financial investors and $250 million in payment deferrals
and related credit facilities from General Motors, which this week said it
would offer XM satellite radio receivers in about three-quarters of its
car models.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030117/nyf022_1.html
http://www.xmradio.com
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o AOL Time Warner Names Richard Parsons As Chairman and CEO
New York -- AOL Time Warner announced that its board of directors voted to
combine the positions of chairman and CEO, and unanimously named Richard
Parsons to the position. Parsons will replace current chairman Steve Case,
who announced his resignation last week and will step down in May. "I am
highly gratified that the Board shares my determination to maximize AOL
Time Warner's tremendous potential," said Parsons.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030116/162501_1.html
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o ReplayTV Maker Sonicblue Seeks New Investors, Possible Sale of Company
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Consumer electronics firm Sonicblue, manufacturer
of the ReplayTV personal video recorder and Rio line of MP3 players,
announced on Friday that, "in light of the amount of debt" the company
holds, it is currently seeking new investors, including a potential party
to acquire the company, its business units or assets. To that end, the
company has hired financial advisor Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin to help
explore its strategic options. "Sonicblue has improved its operational
performance, and its new product lines are well poised for 2003," said CEO
Gregory Ballard. "The goal of this process is to clear the way for the
Company's businesses to continue their strong growth in the market,
unburdened by the amount of debt now carried on the Company's balance
sheet."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030117/170068_1.html
http://www.sonicblue.com
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o Game Developer Acclaim Laying Off 35% of Administrative Staff
Glen Cove, N.Y. -- Video game publisher Acclaim Entertainment announced on
Friday that it will lay off 35 percent of its global administrative staff,
as part of a cost reduction plan in light of weak game sales. New
York-based Acclaim said it will take a $4.5 million restructuring charge
to account for the layoffs, which it expects will reduce its annual
operating expenses by 35 percent. The company, which is responsible for
games including "BMX XXX" and "Turok: Evolution," also announced the
resignation of Acclaim North America president and COO Edmond Sanctis; the
president and COO of Acclaim's International division, Rod Cousens, will
assume the role of interim global president and COO.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030117/172233_1.html
http://www.acclaim.com
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o Report: Yahoo Considers Launching European Internet Service
Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Yahoo is considering entering the European Internet
access market, Reuters reported on Thursday. The company reportedly is
seeking a way to lessen its dependence on the slumping Internet
advertising market, as well as turning around the fortunes of its
money-losing European unit. The company declined to disclose specific
details of the plan, including the timeframe and potential markets, though
the service is expected to be broadband. Such a move would pit Yahoo
against several local incumbent providers, as well as struggling America
Online, which has spent billions of dollars over the past seven years
building its European Internet access business, and expects to break even
next year.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rc/030116/tech_internet_yahoo_1.html
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> Note to Readers:
In observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday, Digital Media
Wire will not be published on Monday, Jan. 20. The next edition will
arrive on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
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December Law & Policy Report
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DMW Events: Digital Music Forum, March 3 | NYC
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Digital Media Wire Presents...
DIGITAL MUSIC FORUM
March 3, 2003 | New York City | 9:00AM - 7:00 PM
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events/MusicForum_030303.htm
A full-day forum focusing on business & legal issues impacting the music
industry today. The agenda includes 2 keynote addresses, 4 moderated
panels and breakout sessions.
Invited speakers include:
Chris Gorog, CEO, Roxio
Sean Ryan, CEO, Listen.com
Marc Schiller, CEO, Electric Artists
David Del Beccaro, CEO, Music Choice
Dennis Mudd, CEO, Musicmatch
Ned Sherman, CEO, Digital Media Wire
John Jeffrey, EVP & General Counsel, Live365
Trey Bowles, VP, StreamCast Networks
Phil Corwin, Partner, Butera & Andrews
Jonathan Potter, Exec. Dir., Digital Media Association
Ted Cohen, VP, EMI Recorded Music
Bryan Biniak, EVP, Moviso
Richard Conlon, VP, Business Development, BMI
Vincent Peppe, Legal Counsel, Licensing, SESAC
Gerd Leonhard, Founder, LicenseMusic.com
Joe Lazlo, Senior Analyst, Jupiter Media
Tim Nilson, VP, Mobile Technology, Sony Music
Paul Sherman, Founder & Editor, Potomac Tech Wire
Nicholas Lehman, VP, Business Development, MTV
David Brudnicki, Sr. Dir., Mobile, AT&T Wireless
Josh Warner, Founder, Like Media
Mark Ghuneim, SVP, Emerging Tech., Columbia Records
Michael Hausman, Co-Founder, United Musicians
Jesse Feder, Policy Planning Advisor, U.S. Copyright Office
John Perry Barlow, Co-Founder, EFF
Early bird registrations: $150 until January 31
February registrations: $200 until February 28
At the door: $250.
Pre-Register at: http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1024
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==================
FEATURED SECTION
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Featured Section posting at:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/featuredpostingpage.htm
USC's M-Commerce to the Max Conference, January 16, Los Angeles
MCommerce to the Max, Industry Leaders Roundtable Event. Join us January
16, 2003, 8:00am - 8:00pm, at the University of Southern California,
Davidson Conference Center 3415 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA
90089. Digital Media Wire readers receive
academic rate ($150.00).
Register online at:
http://www.marshall.usc.edu/web/CTM.cfm?doc_id=4615
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UCLA Extension Course: Digital Entertainment
The definitive course on the intersection of entertainment and technology
is returning to UCLA Extension this January. Digital & Hollywood: How Do
We Pick Up The Pieces & Move Forward? begins Tuesday, January 28th @ 7pm.
This nine week program features informative, stimulating, and
free-wheeling discussions with the senior executives who are who are
creating the future of digital entertainment. Digital Media Wire
subscribers receive a special $45 discount off of the $430 list price. To
register and take advantage of this special offer, simply visit the UCLA
extension website (www.uclaextension.org), click on the Quick Link tab and
enter the following special registration code: N8513
http://www.uclaextension.org
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Briefly Noted:
(Park City, Utah) Microsoft announced on Friday that its Windows Media 9
Series format will be used to screen four feature-length films at this
year's Sundance Film Festival, which kicked off today in Park City, Utah.
"Masked and Anonymous," "The Maldonado Miracle," "A Foreign Affair" and
"Milk and Honey" will be projected digitally using the Microsoft
technology; the company will also hold a workshop for filmmakers at the
Sundance Institute in Provo during the festival.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030117/sff013_1.html
http://www.sundance.org
(Albuquerque, N.M.) Advertising firm McKee Wallwork Henderson said it has
partnered with wireless network operator Sprint to create the AdBowl, a
contest featuring wireless voting capabilities where Super Bowl viewers
will be able to vote on the best and worst commercials seen during the
game. The wireless voting technology was developed by Washington,
D.C.-based Proteus and Redwood City, Calif.-based Openwave Systems, and
will be available to Sprint PCS subscribers. Viewers may also vote on
commercials at AdBowl.com; the results will be announced at the end of the
game.
http://proteus.com/about/news/articles/n_011703.jsp
http://www.adbowl.com
(Washington, D.C.) The Wall Street Journal said on Thursday that it will
begin publishing articles and opinion pieces from The Washington Post in
its international editions. Under the deal, which begins on April 1, The
Journal's Asian and European editions will have access to news and feature
articles, as well as columns offered by the editors of The Post. Journal
editors will select the articles for publication.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/030116/dcth030_1.html
(New York) 24/7 Real Media, a provider of online ad serving technology,
said on Friday that publishing giant Gannett will use the company's Open
AdStream to serve ads on its 120 media property websites. Gannett
previously used New York-based 24/7 Real Media's system to serve ads on
its USAToday.com site.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030117/172115_1.html
http://www.gannett.com
http://www.24/7realmedia.com
(Seattle) Wireless entertainment content distributor Mobliss said on
Friday that its technology will power the text-messaging voting option
that AT&T Wireless will offer viewers of the Fox TV series, "American
Idol." Seattle-based Mobliss is also providing viewer voting capabilities
for USA Networks' similar, country music-themed talent search TV series,
"Nashville Star."
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/230172086&ticker=
http://www.mobliss.com
(New York) America Online announced that Sony Classical will use its AOL
First Listen program to offer a 24-hour Web preview of the Bob Dylan song
"Cross the Green Mountain," from the soundtrack to the upcoming film,
"Gods and Generals." The song is available exclusively to AOL members
today. It will be featured on Netscape Music starting Saturday, in advance
of the soundtrack's release on Feb. 4.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/030116/162473_1.html
http://music.netscape.com
(Los Angeles) Cinema-i.com, an independent online DVD store, said on
Friday it is seeking self-distributed independent films to sell on its
site. "Every year, thousands of films are made, but just over 500 are
actually distributed in the U.S.," said Cinema-i.com founder Michael
Jacobs. "Many of these films are festival award winners, but distributors
have only so much bandwidth and the economics for distributors of
independent fare can be brutal. we just want to be that store where you
can get films you read about in festival reports."
http://www.cinema-i.com
(San Francisco) Wired News on Friday reported on Newsbooster, a Danish
site that was sued for offering "deep links" to articles within
newspapers' websites. The company recently launched "Newsbrowser," a
variant of its service that uses a decentralized peer-to-peer network to
distribute deep links. The company believes the new service is in line
with EU copyright law, which permits users to print copies of protected
information for personal use, since Newsbrowser is not a website but is
located on each individual user's personal computer. "We will continue to
fight for a legal ruling that recognizes the difference between a referral
via a link and the copying of protected information. But in the meantime,
there is Newsbrowser," Newsbooster editor-in-chief Nicolai Lassen told
Wired News.
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,57230,00.html
http://www.newsbooster.com
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Digital Media Wire Presents...Games & Mobile Forum
April 2003, New York City
Focusing on games and mobile entertainment opportunities and business
models. Panel topics will include "The Battle to Control the Living Room:
Is the Game Industry Winning?", "Mobile Games: Business Models & New
Opportunities", "Legal & Policy Issues Impacting the Game Industry &
Mobile Entertainment", and "Home Networking: Technology for Modern Living
& Entertainment."
Door Tickets Price: $250. For Early Bird Specials, pre-register at:
http://kb.digitalmediawire.com/register.php?eventid=1025
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Only 35 copies remaining of Directory of Homeland Security
This is your company's final chance to purchase the inaugural edition of
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To purchase the directory, go to: http://www.homeland-directory.com
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Etronica helps you "Find the Good Stuff FAST!"
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