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Past Editions

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- July 2, 2001
===================================================
To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Publisher Primedia Acquires Emap USA for $515 Million
o Movie Studios Sue Aimster
o Study: Digital Asset Management Market to Reach $5.2 Billion by 2007
o Buyout Talks Stall for Game Developer Interplay Entertainment
o Sony Building Indian Research Center for Convergence Technologies
> Note to Readers: Independence Day Holiday
o Briefly Noted: Musicmusicmusic - CHUM Radio Network, Barnes and
Noble.com, Major League Baseball Advanced Media - Digital Island, Search
engine image filtering, No Todo Film Fest, Nerve.com personal ads
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Product Specialist, Flash Programmer, Content Editor,
Sales Associate, Senior Director, Control Buyer/Business Analyst,
Sr. Business Development Mgr.

> Events/Services: "Software Company Moving Sale," "Free WebCast Series:
Delivering Results in Today's Changing Environment"

Full Job/Event/Services descriptions listed below "Briefly Noted" section
or at http://www.digitalmediawire.com/postings.html

To Post a Job: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html
To Post an Event/Service: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html
_____________________________________________

o Publisher Primedia Acquires Emap USA for $515 Million

New York -- Primedia, the publisher of magazines like Seventeen and New
York, and operator of over 1,000 websites under the About.com brand,
announced on Monday that it has acquired Motor Trend and FHM publisher
Emap USA for $515 million. Los Angeles-based Emap USA was the U.S. market
venture of London-based publisher Emap, publishing 60 titles that have a
combined circulation of 75 million. Under the terms of the agreement,
Primedia will pay $505 million cash and $10 million worth of stock for
Emap USA. Primedia said it "can now pursue a wide array of high growth
digital opportunities without increased cost " that include print, video
and Internet versions of its publications.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010702/0296.html
http://www.primedia.com
http://www.emapusa.com
_____________________________________________

o Movie Studios Sue Aimster

Los Angeles -- Adding to trademark infringement litigation filed against
the company by AOL and copyright suits from the recording industry,
file-sharing service Aimster has been sued by the Motion Picture
Association of America for copyright infringement, according to the
Hollywood Reporter. The MPAA's suit -- filed on behalf of Columbia
Pictures, Disney, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, 20th Century Fox and Universal City Studios -- says that
"blockbuster films currently in first-run theatrical release" are being
traded on Aimster. "We're not advocating infringement of copyright,"
Aimster CEO Johnny Deep told THR. "We're just saying that the Internet is
a way of communication, and that communication over its wires shouldn't be
susceptible to wiretapping any more than a telephone call is."
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/bpihw/20010628/en/aimster_hit_by_copyright_suit_1.html
http://www.mpaa.org
http://www.aimster.com
_____________________________________________

o Study: Digital Asset Management Market to Reach $5.2 Billion by 2007

San Jose, Calif. -- The market for companies that convert traditional
media content to digital formats and archive content for providers --
known as digital asset management -- will grow from revenues of $210
million in 2000 to $5.2 billion by 2007, according to a recently published
report from analyst and consulting firm Frost and Sullivan. The study
points to the FCC's pressure on broadcasters to switch to digital formats
as a major source of revenue for digital asset management providers. "The
switch to digital broadcasts and transmissions mandated by the Federal
Communications Commission is a huge driver for the market," says Frost &
Sullivan research analyst Mukul Krishna. "The main challenge for digital
asset management vendors is to convince customers to purchase their
products now rather than waiting until they comply with the FCC mandate."
The study points out that media and entertainment companies have been slow
to switch to digital because of high costs and lack of consistent
standards.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?day0/211830087&ticker=
http://www.it.frost.com
_____________________________________________

o Buyout Talks Stall for Game Developer Interplay Entertainment

Irvine, Calif. -- Interplay Entertainment, a developer and publisher of
interactive game software, said that negotiations with a third party to
acquire the company have been delayed. Interplay announced on May 29 that
it had entered into the talks, which it said could result in a deal that
would offer a modest premium above the company's current stock price to
shareholders. The company said that the talks could still result in an
acquisition, but that it has also engaged Batchelder and Partners, Inc. to
explore other possible offers. Microsoft recently invested $5 million in
Irvine-based Interplay to develop games based on the blockbuster film "The
Matrix" for its Xbox game console.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010629/laf070.html
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010529/latu044.html
_____________________________________________

o Sony Building Indian Research Center for Convergence Technologies

New Dehli, India -- Sony Corp. is investing $1.7 million to develop a
media lab in Bangalore, India that will focus on home gateways and other
convergence technologies, Newsbytes reported on Monday. The Sony India
Software Center will develop software and systems designed to link
different home electronic devices to the Internet as well as to one
another. "With broadband opening up immense opportunities,
interconnectivity and quick communication among all devices have become
the key for product planning and development," Sony president and COO
Kunitake Ando said.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/167518.html
_____________________________________________

> Note to Readers: Independence Day Holiday

Digital Media Wire will not be published Tuesday through Thursday, July 3
- 5, in part to observe the July 4 Independence Day holiday in the U.S.
The next edition will be sent on Friday, July 6.
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(Toronto) Musicmusicmusic, a provider of music content to websites and
radio stations, announced on Monday that it has sold syndication rights
for classic rock BBC radio performances to Canadian radio programming
syndicator CHUM Radio Network. The live concerts recorded in the '70s
include acts like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Queen. Vermont-based
Musicmusicmusic said it will also market other concerts from its BBC
digital music library, bands such as R.E.M., Radiohead and Coldplay.
http://www.musicmusicmusic.com
http://www.chumradio.com

(New York) Barnes and Noble.com said on Monday that it will offer free
shipping to customers who purchase two or more items from its website. The
company also pointed out that it won't also raise the prices of any of
these items -- in a move that aims to capitalize on bad press from a
similar offer by competitor Amazon.com. Seattle-based Amazon.com last week
announced it would give free shipping to customers who purchased two or
more items from its books, music or movies offerings, later acknowledging
it had simultaneously raised the prices of some of these items.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010702/2234.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-6373611.html
http://www.bn.com 
http://www.amazon.com

(San Francisco) Content delivery network Digital Island said on Monday
that Major League Baseball Advanced Media will use its services to help
speed content from MLB.com, as well as 30 individual team sites, to users.
The sites offer news headlines, pitch-by-pitch enactment of games, live
scores and fantasy baseball tournaments.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010702/2101.html
http://www.mlb.com

(San Francisco) CNET reported on Monday on the effectiveness of image
filtering technology offered by search engines like Google and AltaVista,
which are meant to screen out pornography when searching specifically for
images on the Web. Current software offerings return many false positives
and negatives, and take up an enormous amount of processing power when
scanning image databases for potentially offensive content.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-6416982.html?tag=tp_pr
http://www.google.com/help/features.html#images

(San Francisco) Wired News featured an article Monday on the No Todo Film
Fest, a Spanish festival that is asking the country's directors to submit
films with file size and compression in mind. The festival requires all
films to be in AVI, MPEG, Flash, QuickTime or RealVideo and be no larger
than 3.5 MB. "When you know from the start that your movie will be 200
pixels long and 120 pixels wide, you are forced to take a different
approach," said No Todo Film Fest creator Javier Fesser.
http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,44904,00.html
http://www.notodofilmfest.com

(San Francisco) TheStandard.com is currently featuring an article on the
surprise success that sex-related editorial site Nerve.com has found with
its paid personal ads. The ads have become the company's single largest
revenue stream, bringing $575,000 in revenues this year, and expected
totals of $3.5 million in 2002 and $11 million in 2003.
http://www.thestandard.com/article/0,1902,27563,00.html
http://www.nerve.com/personals/

===================================================
Job Postings:
===================================================
To Post Jobs: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/jobs.html

> XM Radio, Product Specialist - Washington, D.C.

Reporting to Director of Product Development, this position will manage
radio equipment for demos & tradeshows, in addition to serving as 2nd tier
technical resource for customer care. Work w/ retailers, manufacturers &
marketing to identify operations issues. 3 years exp. in consumer
electronics field, excellent organization & communication skills and
Associate's degree in technology or equivalent experience. Send resumes
to: jobs@xmradio.com
http://www.xmradio.com
______________________

> The Illusion Factory, Flash Programmer - Los Angeles

Flash expert needed for entertainment/multi-media design company
specializing in websites for film/television/multimedia, as well as
specialty e-mail for various clients. You will work w/ art directors in
developing sites translated into various languages. Candidates should have
strong skills in Flash, Photoshop & Illustrator. Experience in Director,
GoLive a plus. Send resumes to: tara@illusionfactory.com
http://www.illusionfactory.com
______________________

> Law.com, Content Editor - New York City

Well-funded Internet service for lawyers seeking Content Editor to work on
New York Web site and other products. Position requires evening hours.
Salary to mid-30s. One to three years writing/editing experience required.
Legal and/or HTML experience helpful.
Send resumes to: kjackson@corp.law.com
http://www.law.com
______________________

> Walt Disney Internet Group, Sales Associate - Los Angeles

Join the ABCNEWS.com/ABC.com sales team. Responsibilities: creating
Powerpoint proposals; prospecting for leads; managing active programs;
providing tracking for existing ad campaigns; quantitive & qualitative
research; & handling clients while all sales reps are out of the office. 1
year experience at an interactive agency. Media background preferred. Send
resumes to: hr.recruiting@dig.com
http://www.dig.com
______________________

>Dittus Communications, Senior Director - Washington, D.C.

Working with the Vice President, this individual will be responsible for
developing and implementing communications programs for our high-tech
clients. Creative writing, strong media pitching, management experience,
solid marketing background as well as 5 to 8 years agency experience
required. Send resumes to karine.elsen@dittus.com
http://www.dittus.com
______________________

> Alloy Online, Control Buyer/Business Analyst - New York City

Alloy Online, a new media and e-commerce company, is looking for a
quantitative person for inventory control, sales forecasting & other
special business analyses. Must be a self-starter who can work within a
team and contribute to building the business. Must have good business
judgment, problem solving & people skills. BS/BA & strong Excel exp. Send
resumes to: bstankard@alloy.com
http://www.alloy.com
______________________

> AGENCY.COM, Senior Business Development Director - Boston

Position is responsible for driving revenue-producing activities such as:
qualifying leads, proactively managing accounts & cultivating senior-level
relationships w/ new & existing accounts. 8-10 yrs. professional
servicessales, successful sales track record and understanding of
eBusiness solutions. Must be able to manage overall relationships w/
clients. Apply online at: http://www.agency.com

===================================================
Events/Services Postings:
===================================================
To Post Events/Services: http://www.digitalmediawire.com/events.html

> Software Company Moving Sale - Los Angeles

An LA-based software company is moving offices and selling various
equipment & furnishings: Uninterruptible Power Supplies (a must for
looming blackouts); printers (HP Color Laserjet 4500, Laserjet 1100 and
many Epson 850s); PCs; firewall; hubs; desks; tables; chairs; whiteboards,
etc. Priced to move. Office located in mid-Wilshire at 3333 Wilshire Blvd.
(near Vermont), Suite 205, Los Angeles, CA 90010.
For information, please call Barney: 213.365.6545, ext. 204.
______________________

> Free WebCast Series: Delivering Results in Today's Changing Environment

Pacific Edge Software, an enterprise solution provider of project
portfolio management, is joined by webcast speakers Geoffrey Moore, Bill
Rosser & Jim Highsmith to address challenges you face as an executive in
today's uncertain environment. Get expert advice & learn how Pacific
Edge's solution of software & services enables organizations to manage
project portfolios & measure progress toward strategic goals.
SIGN-UP at http://www.pacificedge.com/campaigns/DigitalMedia
or email info@pacificedge.com
______________________

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