archives

 events
 about us
 resources
 privacy
 news tips
 contact us
 home

Sign up for our free daily email briefing

Past Editions

===================================================
DIGITAL MEDIA WIRE -- September 21, 2001
===================================================
To Subscribe For Free: http://www.digitalmediawire.com

o Hollywood Studios Increase Security After FBI Warning
o Congressmen Lobby Against Music Online Competition Act
o Microsoft May Ship Half the Expected Amount of Xbox Consoles
o House of Blues Cuts Staff, Live Concert Webcasts
o MGM Mirage Gets Internet Gaming License from Isle of Man
o Internet Consultancy Agency.com Lays Off 19% of Staff
o Streaming Technology Firm Convera and NBA End Wide-Ranging Agreement
o Google Acquires Assets of Online Information Retrieval Firm Outride
o E-VideoTV Acquires Video Compression Firm Ziracom
> DMW Panel Discussion: Microsoft vs. AOL | Sept. 28 | Los Angeles
> DMW Panel Discussion: The State of Wireless | Oct. 10 | San Francisco
> Seminar: How Bush's Tech Policy Will Affect Your Business | McLean, VA
o Briefly Noted: Salon.com - HBO Pictures, Nokia Game 2001, Profits -
File-sharing services
_____________________________________________

> Job Postings: Account Mgr., Marketing Associate, Sr. Level BizDev,
Research Asst., Sales Asst./International

> Events/Services: "Digital Media Revolution in the Americas," "SHORTSPAN
Film & Video Festival: SOUTHEAST Tour, August 24- Sept. 22"

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 Hollywood Studios Increase Security After FBI Warning

Los Angeles -- Major Hollywood film studios have closed their entrances
and erected barricades after a report from the FBI indicated that they may
be targeted for retaliatory terrorist strikes for any U.S. attack on
Afghanistan, the Daily Variety reported. "The uncorroborated threat states
that a film studio in California could be the target of a terrorist attack
in retaliation for any possible bombing attacks by the United States in
Afghanistan," said FBI spokeswoman Cheryl Mimura. "It seems to be a
credible threat." Mimura added that "several of our agents have had
briefings with the main security offices of the studios." Some shows
continue to tape with live studio audiences, such as "The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno," but many studios are canceling their popular tours.
Universal will maintain its tours for now, although it said it is
increasing security.
http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=story&articleid=VR1117852952&categoryid=18
_____________________________________________

o Congressmen Lobby Against Music Online Competition Act

Washington, D.C. -- Six members of the House have circulated a letter to
other lawmakers urging them not to support any legislation that would have
an effect on copyright law with regard to digital media, Newsbytes
reported. The congressmen who penned the letter include Reps. Howard
Berman, John Conyers, Bob Goodlatte and Henry Hyde. The letter refers in
particular to the Music Online Competition Act, which was introduced by
Reps. Rick Boucher and Chris Cannon and aims to give webcasters the same
copyright exemptions as traditional media companies. In their letter, the
House Judiciary Committee members argue that digital distribution is still
too nascent a market to see problems that might warrant changes to
copyright law. "We strongly believe it is premature for Congress to act on
legislation that regulates this quickly evolving marketplace," they said.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/170343.html
http://www.house.gov/boucher/moca-page.htm
_____________________________________________

o Microsoft May Ship Half the Expected Amount of Xbox Consoles

Los Angeles -- An analyst in contact with major retailers said that
Microsoft may ship only half of the Xbox video game consoles that were
promised to retailers at launch, the Los Angeles Times reported on Friday.
Microsoft has maintained that it will ship between 600,000 and 800,000
units to retailers on Nov. 8. "My retail contacts, based on the
conversations they have had with Microsoft, believe that the total output
is closer to 300,000," said analyst John G. Taylor of Arcadia Investments.
Nintendo said it received calls from retailers including Best Buy and
Wal-Mart asking if the company could increase shipments of its rival
GameCube console, due Nov. 18, to "make up for somebody else's problems."
http://www.latimes.com/business/la000075655sep21.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dbusiness
http://www.xbox.com
_____________________________________________

o House of Blues Cuts Staff, Live Concert Webcasts

Los Angeles -- House of Blues Entertainment on Thursday laid off 30
percent of its staff, or 39 of its 189 employees, the Los Angeles Times
reported on Friday. The company -- which has spent $20 million on its
webcasting business and in 1999 sent crews to videotape 600 concerts
slated for webcast -- also said that it expects to tape no more than a
dozen next year. "It would be idiotic to think that that is going to be a
profitable business for us any time soon," said House of Blues CEO Greg
Trojan. Twenty-five of the employees laid off as part of the restructuring
were involved with capturing and editing webcast footage. Los
Angeles-based House of Blues said it will now focus on the 20 live venues
for concerts that it either owns or operates.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la000075673sep21.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dbusiness
http://www.hob.com
_____________________________________________

o MGM Mirage Gets Internet Gaming License from Isle of Man

Las Vegas -- Casino operator MGM Mirage announced that it has been awarded
a license to operate an online gambling operation out of the Isle of Man,
a British crown dependency. MGM Mirage is the first U.S. company to be
granted a license in the territory, on which two other major casinos
operate. "MGM Mirage intends to take a leadership role in developing the
appropriate path to safe, responsible and enjoyable interactive gaming and
is actively working with The American Gaming Association to develop a code
of conduct for Internet gaming sites," said company CEO Terry Lanni. The
company will work to ensure that only wagers from countries that allow
online gambling are accepted, that underage gambling is prohibited and
that access to the site by "problem gamers" is limited.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010920/lath036_1.html
http://www.mgm-mirage.com
_____________________________________________

o Internet Consultancy Agency.com Lays Off 19% of Staff

New York -- Agency.com, an Internet consultancy with a large interactive
TV division, announced that it will lay off 200 employees, or about 19
percent of its staff as part of a restructuring that includes the closing
of its Portland, Ore. office. The company also reported that all 300 of
its New York staffers, located in a building just southeast of the World
Trade Center, have been accounted for and none of them will be included in
the current round of layoffs. Agency.com expects to take a charge of
between $18 and $23 million to account for costs related to the
restructuring, which it says will produce annual savings of $25 million.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/182555_1.html
http://www.agency.com
_____________________________________________

o Streaming Technology Firm Convera and NBA End Wide-Ranging Agreement

Vienna, Va. -- Convera, a developer of streaming media technologies, and
the National Basketball Association announced on Thursday that they have
terminated their wide-ranging service agreement that was formed last year.
Convera had previously been contracted to develop online products for the
NBA that would make video clips and highlights of NBA games available over
the Internet. "In response to weaker than anticipated broadband
penetration and consumer demand for interactive services, Convera is no
longer focusing on the interactive services business,'' said Pat Condo,
CEO of Convera. "As a result of the termination and our shift in business
strategy, Convera expects to save in excess of $10 million in costs in the
coming year."
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010920/200841_1.html
http://www.convera.com
_____________________________________________

o Google Acquires Assets of Online Information Retrieval Firm Outride

Mountain View, Calif. -- Search engine Google announced that it has
acquired the assets of Outride, a provider of online information retrieval
technologies. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Google acquired intellectual property including patent rights, source
code, trademarks and domain names from Redwood City-based Outride, a
spin-off from the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center. Outride's technology
was created to simplify the ability to find the right information at the
right time.
http://www.google.com/press/pressrel/outride.html
http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:1aL8_cgcILA:www.outride.net/+outride&hl=en
_____________________________________________

o E-VideoTV Acquires Video Compression Firm Ziracom

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- E-VideoTV, a developer of copy protection and
video-on-demand technologies, announced on Friday that it has acquired
Ziracom Digital Communications, a developer of video compression
technology. Terms of the all-stock transaction were not disclosed.
Vancouver-based Ziracom says its technology can compress video files to
half the size of standard Mpeg or RealPlayer files while maintaining a
higher picture quality, and that the next version of its technology will
reduce file sizes another 25 to 30 percent. Arizona-based E-VideoTV said
the acquisition will enable it to license the combined technologies in the
business of protection, compression and delivery of video into devices
including set-top boxes, handheld computers and video capable cell phones.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010921/210164_1.html
http://www.e-videotv.com
http://www.ziracom.com
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Presents a Panel Discussion:
"Microsoft vs. AOL: The Battle of the Internet Titans"

Los Angeles | Friday, September 28th at the Four Seasons Hotel

This panel of journalists, legal experts and others will discuss the
increasing rivalry between these two monolithic companies -- and how their
competition will affect the development of the Internet for years to come.

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAbattle.html

MODERATOR:
Jim Griffin - CEO of Cherry Lane Digital, Founder of Evolab,
Co-founder of the 'pho' list

SPEAKERS:
Sonia Arrison - Director, Center for Technology Studies | Pacific Research
Bob Badal - Attorney | Heller Ehrman
Mark Frauenfelder - Editor | WIRED
Jon Goodman - Executive Director | EC2 Incubator Project @ USC
Dave Wilson - Technology Columnist | Los Angeles Times

SPONSOR: Heller Ehrman
SUPPORTING ORGANIZATION: larta

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/LAbattle.html
_____________________________________________

> Digital Media Wire Presents a Panel Discussion:
"The State of Wireless: Delivering Content Across Today's Mobile
Landscape"

San Francisco | Wednesday, October 10th at The City Club

This panel of top wireless, content and technology executives and
professionals will discuss the necessary steps in streamlining an array of
applications in order to lay a workable infrastructure for the delivery of
emerging products.

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/SFwireless.html

FEATURED SPEAKERS:
Seamus McAteer - Sr. Analyst | Jupiter Media Metrix
Rick Onyon - Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer | fusionOne
John Trobough - Chief Executive Officer | Gravitate
***Additional Panelists TBA***

For more information and to register:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com/SFwireless.html
_____________________________________________

> Potomac Tech Wire Seminar:
How Bush's Tech Policy Will Affect Your Business

Sponsors:
Womble Carlyle
National Journal's Technology Daily

Panelists:
-Wayne Crews, Director of Technology Policy, Cato Institute
-Kevin Jones, Attorney, Womble Carlyle
-John Palfoutas, Sr. VP Domestic Policy, American Electronics Association
-Ken Wasch, President, Software & Information Industry Association
-Bara Vaida, Senior Writer, National Journal's Tech Daily
Paul Sherman (moderator), Editor, Potomac Tech Wire

When: Wednesday, September 26, 2001
7:30 - 8 AM: Registration and Networking
8 - 9:30 AM: Breakfast, Panel, Q&A
Where: The Ritz Carlton, McLean, VA

For more information and to register for this event:
http://www.potomactechwire.com/seminar10.htm
_____________________________________________

o Briefly Noted:

(San Francisco) Online magazine Salon.com said on Friday that HBO Pictures
has optioned the rights to an article that originally appeared on its site
for a feature film. "The Color of Love" is an autobiographical essay about
a black journalist who falls in love with a white high school teacher
accused of racism, written by Erin Aubry Kaplan.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/010921/sff009_1.html
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2001/02/14/love_marriage/index.html

(Helsinki, Finland) Nokia announced on Friday that its Nokia Game 2001
will be played Nov. 4-23 in 28 countries in Europe and the Middle East.
The game interacts with players through SMS messages, short TV movies,
websites, radio announcements, newspaper and magazine ads, e-mail, and
mobile phone calls. Players can win points by visiting websites, playing
online games, finding information and answering questions.
http://press.nokia.com/PR/200109/834670_5.html

(San Francisco) CNET featured an article on Friday that examines the
financial state of file-sharing services that have emerged since Napster
was sued by the recording industry. Services such as AudioGalaxy and Music
City have amassed user communities trading in volumes of files that rival
Napster at its peak, but will likely not be able to bring great profits to
their operators. "It's not too hard to see them squeaking by or maybe
doing a little better," one analyst said. "It's hard to see them being
hugely profitable." Aimster CEO Johnny Deep commented on his company's
finances, saying "Most of our expenses are legal. I'm not sure what we're
going to do about that."
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7230930.html?tag=cd_mh

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

> Mamisi Digital Media Services, Account Manager - Los Angeles

New Co. - Position requires knowledge of film/tv production process with
solid understanding of Digital Media and Business Internet Functionality.
Solid sales background with the ability to contribute/implement sales
strategies. Entrepreneurial spirit, ability to manage accounts and desire
to grow career and lead. 5+ years. Send resumes to: pmking@mamisi.com
http://www.mamisi.com
______________________

> Bluefly, Marketing Associate - New York City

Manage marketing relationships with online companies for leading retailer
of designer fashions at outlet prices. Traffic creative to advertising
partners, as well as track and evaluate creative performance. Implement
marketing promos and customer retention programs. Assist in implementing
an affiliate program, as well as email marketing initiatives. Must have
atleast 6 months exp. in Internet advertising/marketing. Send resumes to:
marketingjobs@bluefly.com

http://www.bluefly.com
______________________

> Roxio, Sr.-Level Business Development Position - Silicon Valley

Hey... are you a closer? Do you like to win? If you answered yes to these
questions and you are an experienced dealmaker, we have an MBA's (or
ex-lawyer's) dream job waiting for you at Roxio, Inc., the leading digital
media company.
Send resumes to: elizabeth@cruelworld.com
http://www.roxio.com
______________________

> VentureOne, Research Assistant - San Francisco

In this entry-level position you will perform secondary research through
web browsing, review of journals and other publications, plus primary
research through direct contact with venture capital firms and start-up
companies. Update profiles of venture capital firms and start-up
companies. Review company data, proofread, and enter data. Assist in
surveys, analyses and general administrative support. College degree.
European language skills a plus. Send resumes to: jobs@ventureone.com
http://www.ventureone.com
______________________

> Canal+ (U.S.), Sales Asst./International - Los Angeles

Assist Senior VP & Director of International Sales w/ preparation of
markets, including making appointments with clients, arranging travel,
sending sales materials, & follow-up w/ clients. Other duties include:
answering phones, expense reports, availability checks on computer system,
coordinating deal memo process with support sales office in France,
updating client database and other administrative duties. A 4-year college
degree preferred. Knowledge of French language preferred - Spanish
helpful.
Send resumes to: shuddleston@cplus-us.com
http://www.cplus-us.com

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

> Digital Media Revolution in the Americas, 11/29-12/01 -- Pasadena, CA

Presented by the Institute of the Americas and Annenberg School for
Communication, this 2 1/2 day forum will include Sr. Exec. Networking w/ a
special focus on Latin Americas & U.S. Hispanic markets, copyright, rights
mgmt., dist., infrastructure, digital film, iTV, streaming, device trends,
content financing. Early-bird 40% off till 9/30. Keynote Steven Bandel,
Pres. - The Cisneros Group. Sponsors: JP Morgan, Motorola, Global
Crossing, Walt Disney Company, Digital Media Wire, Cahners International
TV, iHollywood, Motion Picture Assoc., National Assoc. of TV Prog. Exec.,
National Assoc. of Theatre owners. For more information:
martin@iamericas.org
Register at: http://www.iamericas.org/events
______________________

> SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival, SOUTHEAST Tour, Aug. 24 - Sept. 22

SHORT MOVIES! Dreamspan presents the 9TH Annual Short Attention Span Film & Video Festival. Shortspan is a non-stop two hour program of ALL NEW
two-minute-or-shorter films, including ultra-short documentaries like
"Peekaboo Sunday," a story about raising miniature horses or "Exotic
World," an inside look at the lives of some of America's first burlesque
performers-- and 57 more shorts! The tour will travel to 30 North American
cities. Southeastern tour dates include:

ATLANTA, GA: The Atlanta Contemporary Arts Center - August 24th - 8PM
ATHENS, GA: The Georgia Museum of Art - September 5 th - 7:30PM
ATLANTA, GA: Cinefest Theatre- September 14th and 15th - 9PM/12PM
ATHENS, GA: The Georgia Theater - September 18th - 10PM
SAVANNAH, GA: Trustee's Theater - September 20th - 9PM
GAINSVILLE, FL: The University of Florida - September 22nd

More info: http://www.dreamspan.com/shortspan
______________________

To subscribe, go to:
http://www.digitalmediawire.com

Questions or comments? Send email to:
mark@digitalmediawire.com

News tips, press releases. Send email to:
editorial@digitalmediawire.com

Copyright 2001 Digital Media Wire