archives

o Excite@Home Will Shut Down in February
o E-Books Publisher IPublish.com to Shut Down by End of Year
o Dutch Court Blocks PlayStation Sales On Health Concerns
o AOL Time Warner Chief Levin Resigns; Parsons to Take Over As CEO
o EMI Withdraws Licenses for Some Ringtones
o New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe Combine Online Job Ads
o Briefly Noted: MirCorp - "Ancient Astronaut," Matrix Semiconductor,
Final Cut Pro 3, SunnComm, Audible.com Otis, Video games - addictiveness,
Apple QuickTime, MusicNet - bug reports
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> Job Postings: Staff Writer, Online Ad Sales Mgr., Web Research
Assistant, Web Designer

> Events/Services: "Third Annual Early Stage Capital Forum," "Marketing
and PR Courses Taught by Journalists," "Avail. for Hire," "Digital Media
Wire Directory," "Avail. for Hire," "Shortspan Film & Video Festival"

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 Excite@Home Will Shut Down in February

Redwood City, Calif. -- Bankrupt broadband access provider Excite@Home
announced that following the transition of all of its subscribers who
signed up through their local cable TV operator, the company will shut
down on Feb. 28, 2002. Excite@Home also announced details of its temporary
contracts with cable firms. The company will receive a total of $355
million to continue operations through the transition process, while cable
companies transfer users from Excite@Home to their own high-speed cable
Internet networks. AT&T has terminated its agreement to acquire assets of
the company for $307 million. To date, AT&T is the sole bidder for
Excite@Home's assets, as part of the company's bankruptcy proceedings.
CNET reported that the bondholders who criticized AT&T's bid as being too
low are now planning to sue the company for withdrawing its bid. They
claim that AT&T lied to or misled Excite@Home stakeholders during the
bankruptcy process, simply buying time while the company transferred
subscribers to its own network.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011204/sftu133_1.html
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1004-200-8069568.html
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o E-Books Publisher IPublish.com to Shut Down by End of Year

New York -- AOL Time Warner announced that it will shut down its
IPublish.com e-publishing imprint, laying off all 29 employees and ceasing
operations by the end of the year. The company blamed the slow development
of a market for e-books in general as its main reason for shutting the
unit down. "The market for e-books has simply not developed the way we
hoped, and given the overall economic climate, we can't jeopardize our
thriving print business by carrying a money-losing operation indefinitely
into the future," said Time Warner Trade Publishing chairman Laurence
Kirshbaum, in a statement. "Perhaps Mr. Gutenberg has the last laugh
here," Kirshbaum remarked to the New York Times. In addition to offering
backlist Time Warner titles in e-book format, IPublish.com is also a
community site for authors looking to have their works reviewed by their
peers and receive advice on how to go about getting their works published.
Kirshbaum said that IPublish has lost approximately $13 million to date in
the business of selling e-books.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/05/technology/05BOOK.html
http://www.ipublish.com
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o Dutch Court Blocks PlayStation Sales On Health Concerns

(Rijswijk, Netherlands) A Dutch court has blocked retailers in the
Netherlands from selling the 1.3 million Sony PlayStation video game
consoles on their shelves because cables included with the device contain
unacceptable levels of cadmium, according to a Reuters report. Cadmium is
an extremely toxic metal that when exposed to humans can cause kidney
damage, emphysema and lung and prostrate cancer, according to the U.S.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The ANP Dutch
newswire service reported that a government health service said, "the
cables, which were attached to the devices, contained three to more than
20 times more cadmium than allowed." PlayStation 2 consoles are reportedly
not affected by the Dutch court ruling.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-200-8066208.html?tag=cdshrt
http://www.osha-slc.gov/SLTC/cadmium/
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o AOL Time Warner Chief Levin Resigns; Parsons to Take Over As CEO

New York -- AOL Time Warner CEO Jerry Levin announced on Wednesday that he will resign his position as of the company's annual meeting in May 2002.
Co-chief operating officer Richard Parsons will become the company's new
CEO, while the other co-chief operating officer, Robert Pittman, will
become the sole COO. "This is a step that I have been thinking about for
some time and whose time has come," said Levin. "Given that we are almost
a full year into the merger and that an outstanding management team is now
in place at the company, I am convinced that AOL Time Warner should begin
an orderly transition to a new era of leadership."
http://media.aoltimewarner.com/media/press_view.cfm?release_num=55252328
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o EMI Withdraws Licenses for Some Ringtones

London -- About 300 ringtones being sold in the U.K. that were licensed by
copyright holders including major label EMI are being withdrawn at their
owners' requests, BBC News Online reported. The songs come from TV themes
including "The X-Files" and "Star Trek" and from groups including Nirvana.
"All catalogue owners, writers and artists have the right to approve the
use of their repertoire, including use in ring tones," a spokeswoman for
EMI Music Publishing told BBC News Online. While downloads of actual songs
have been slow to sell among consumers everywhere, ringtones are very
popular purchases in the U.K. and other areas of Europe where the SMS
wireless technology needed to download the jingles is more prevalent.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/new_media/newsid_1691000/1691574.stm
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o New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe Combine Online Job Ads

New York -- Three newspapers announced that they will combine their online
job ads in an effort to generate greater interest and revenue for the
service. The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal.com will be combined with
job ads on The New York Times' NYTimes.com and The Boston Globe's
BostonWorks.com. Advertisers will be able to post ads across all three
sites from any one site, and visitors will see ads from all three
publications regardless of which one they visit. "The reach of our
combined Internet audience is unmatched by other career Web sites," said
Peter Newton, president of BostonWorks. "Between the three sites, we can
provide access to a national marketplace of high-quality professionals
that are seeking new job opportunities." Carlsbad, Calif.-based CareerCast
facilitated the combination as it provides the technology to all three
publications' online job sections.
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/f_headline.cgi?bw.120501/213392193&ticker=NYT
http://www.careerjournal.com
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o Briefly Noted:

(Rockville, Md.) MirCorp, the company funding manned commercial space
exploration that recently put civilian Dennis Tito into space, announced
that it has partnered with Image World Media to launch "Ancient
Astronaut," a Survivor-esque TV game show whose winners will be given a
seat on Russian Soyuz spacecraft missions in 2003. Several teams will
compete for the chance to enter cosmonaut training in Moscow, with the
last to be eliminated from the program winning an 8 to 10-day trip to the
international space station. Maryland-based MirCorp had planned to produce
the series and send the winners to the Mir Space Station, which was taken
out of orbit in March.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011204/42172_1.html
http://www.msnbc.com/news/662290.asp?0dm=C19UT
http://www.mirstation.com

(Santa Clara, Calif.) Matrix Semiconductor announced that it has developed
three-dimensional microchips that can store more transistors due to their
added surface area. The company plans to market the chips as a cheaper
alternative to the current Flash memory storage media used in digital
cameras, digital audio players, portable games, PDAs and cell phones. It
also will offer the chips as a format for pre-recorded music, e-books and
games. Santa Clara-based Matrix has raised over $80 million from investors
including Microsoft, Sony and Kodak.
http://www.matrixsemi.com/news.shtml?2

(Cupertino, Calif.) Apple has released Final Cut Pro 3, the latest version
of its video editing software used by both professionals and amateurs to
edit movies and other video on Macintosh computers. The company said the
new version takes advantage of the increased processing power of Apple's
G4 Velocity Engine for real-time effects playback. It also adds
professional color correction tools and offers an offline video storage
format that enables users to store 40 minutes of video per gigabyte of
hard drive space. The software is being offered for $999 on its own or for
$299 as an upgrade from Final Cut Pro 2.
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/011204/sftu121_1.html
http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro

(Phoenix) SunnComm, a developer of copy-protection technology for digital
media, announced on Wednesday a new service that offers artists and record
labels the ability to add bonus content to CDs that is accessible directly
from the CD. The company said the first release to utilize its new Cd-3
technology is country singer Len Doolin's album, "Once In a Lifetime,"
which was shipped to retailers today. The CD will also contain
Phoenix-based SunnComm's security technology that claims to prevent tracks
from being uploaded onto a PC.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011205/50222_1.html
http://www.sunncomm.com

(Wayne, N.J.) Online spoken-word audio programming provider Audible.com on
Wednesday released the Audible.com Otis, a portable digital audio player
specifically designed to play content from its site. The 64MB player also
handles MP3 and Windows Media Audio files. New Jersey-based Audible.com,
which offers audio editions of newspapers as well as old and current radio
programs, said the player was designed so it can also easily be branded
and renamed according to the needs of another company or third party.
Audible is offering the Otis for $49.95 with the purchase of a premium
content subscription on its site.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/011205/52034_1.html
http://www.audible.com

(San Francisco) Wired News offered a feature article on Wednesday on the
debate about whether or not video games are addictive. The article
mentions several online support groups for loved ones of zealous players
of EverQuest, Sony's massively multiplayer online roleplaying game. "For
the first week, I didn't go to sleep," said Reuben Logsdon, a
self-admitted addict of a game called Civilization. "It was worse than
being on crank. I'd always get a sinking feeling when I looked out the
window and saw it was dawn. I'd get angry at myself for being such a loser
because the game was controlling my life."
http://www.wired.com/news/holidays/0,1882,48479,00.html

(San Francisco) CNET reported Wednesday on the 10th anniversary of the
release of Apple's QuickTime software, generally recognized as the first
to successfully integrate audio and video for computers. The article
discusses the dilution of QuickTime's market share as Microsoft and
RealNetworks more aggressively developed competing products for the
Internet market, and what the emerging interoperable MPEG-4 standard for
video could do for Apple and QuickTime.
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-8068812.html?tag=mn_hd

(Seattle) Newsbytes on Wednesday offered consumer reaction to MusicNet,
the first major-label backed digital music subscription service, which was
launched yesterday. Most of those interviewed reported problems trying to
search for and stream or download music once they had paid for and
installed the software on their systems. The article pointed out that the
$9.95 download was a "beta" of MusicNet, or version not yet tested by
consumers, which will likely unearth "bugs" the writers of the program
will have to fix as they emerge.
http://www.newsbytes.com/news/01/172704.html
http://www.musicnet.com

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

> Staff Writer - Forbes.com - NYC

Forbes.com, the online component of Forbes Magazine, seeks a junior
reporter who has experience covering the business world, and can handle
the daily deadline grind, turning out punchy, opinionated copy on a wide
range of business and financial subjects. Experience on a daily newspaper,
wire service or Web site is a plus, as is experience covering financial
services.
Send cover letter/resume/salary history to Michael Noer: mnoer@forbes.net
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> Internet Advertising Sales Manager, gantthead.com, Fairfax VA

Are you passionate about the Internet as a B2B advertising medium? We have
too many leads to pursue and need you if: you have 2+ yrs exp. selling
Internet advertising (required); BA/S degree; B2B agency/account contacts;
you can identify, pursue, and close deals. Creative, autonomous work
environment. Generous package: salary, commission, benefits.
Please send resume to: gina@gantthead.com. EOE, M/F/V/D.
For more information, see http://www.gantthead.com/Gantthead/jobs
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> Katrillion, Web Research Assistant - Fort Lee, New Jersey

CityConnect, the first national city event guide for teens available on
all web and wireless platforms, is looking for an events-locating
super-sleuth to find content for posting on the web. The ideal candidate
must be -- able to find current information that may not be readily
available, a recent college grad, and possess a passion for pop culture
and teen trends. Internet savvy plus strong writing skills are essential.
Send resume and salary requirements to: ccstaff@katrillion.com
http://www.katrillion.com/cityconnect.com
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> Bookspan, Web Designer - Long Island, New York

BOOKSPAN is seeking a Web Designer with preferably 1-2 years experience
for a freelance position (possible temp-to-hire). Work with a Sr. Designer
on the design of all-new web sites from top to bottom. PhotoShop,
Illustrator, hand-code HTML, and aptitude to learn proprietary
content-management software are an absolute must. Send resume in plain
text with URLs of your work, and list the three best-looking content or
e-commerce based sites you can find to: jgiannetti@booksonline.com
http://www.booksonline.com

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

> Third Annual Early Stage Capital Forum - January 31, 2002

Selection Committee is seeking executive summaries from technology
companies throughout the mid-Atlantic looking to raise $300,000 to
$5,000,000. Companies should submit their plans online. Hosted by DC
Technology Council in Partnership with Netpreneur, NVTC, HTM, GBTC and the
Mid-AtlanticVenture Association. To Submit plans go to:
http://www.dctechcouncil.org or Contact escf@wdctech.net
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> Marketing & PR Courses Taught by Journalists, 10% Discount - Worldwide

NEW courses: Ten Ways To Get Editors To Love Your Clients, Print Vs. Web
Publishing and How to Benefit, How To Write Press Releases For The Press
that get noticed, and The Anatomy Of Technical Publication Content - Learn
to influence IT publication content. Courses are taught by Journalists,
who share what caught their eye or made the difference! Contact
info@intellor.com or Visit
http://www.intellor.com/education/channels/?aid=8&source=ptw
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> AVAILABLE FOR HIRE: Latin America Business Dev. & Sales Executive

Senior, seasoned Tri-lingual (English, Spanish & Portuguese) Internet &
New Media business development executive -AVAILABLE FOR HIRE. Equally
competent in US & European market(s), as well as experienced in sales,
organization-building and management efforts, CRM deployment, and truly "a
door opener!"
For more information, contact rswerner@hotmail.com
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> Digital Media Wire Directory Launched

Digital Media Wire just launched the Digital Media Directory, an online
directory and RFP engine that facilitates the search and negotiation
process between buyers and sellers.

Register as a provider in the Digital Media Directory at
http://digitalmediawire.newmediary.com/dmw111301nl
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> Available for Hire - Tech-Experienced Copy Writer/Marketing Manager

Marketing professional with over two years high tech experience within a
London marketing agency. Moved to DC seven months ago to set up first US
branch of UK business - seeking opportunities for full-time, part-time or
freelance marketing/communications projects.
Contact timdatwilsonharvey@hotmail.com
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> SHORTSPAN Film & Video Festival, FINAL DATES

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. The remaining dates on the tour include:

NEW YORK CITY, NY: The Anthology Film Archives, Dec. 7-8, 9:30 PM
BIRMINGHAM, AL: WorkPlay, Dec. 20, 9:00 PM

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