Media Execs to Discuss Ways to Exploit Media Assets Online

At the ninth annual Media Forum to be held in New York City on March18-19, more than 25 leading executives from broadcast, newspaper,magazine and interactive media conglomerates will share strategies forexploiting media assets online. The event is sponsored by Jupiter MediaMetrix in association with Mediaweek Magazine.

The forum - titled "The Death of Free Content?" - will seek to armparticipants with a new confidence in making decisions about realisticrevenue models for the coming year, mastering media asset and contentmanagement, and deploying the Internet to support offlineproperties.

Among the speakers participating in the conference will be:

• Bernard Gershon, senior vice president and general manager,ABCNEWS.com

• Dr. Chris Westcott, head of new media, BBC World Service

• Tad Smith, president, media division, Cahners

• Larry Kramer, CEO, CBS MarketWatch

• Peter Winter, president, Cox Interactive Media

• Scott Robson, editor in chief, E! Online

• John Skipper, senior vice president and general manager,ESPN.com

• Mitchell Praver, president, Nationalgeographic.com

• Gene Falk, senior vice president, Showtime Digital Media Group

• Kelly Flock, president, Sony Online Entertainment

• Neil Budde, publisher, Wall Street Journal Online

"The 'Death of Free Content' is a passing in the interactive spacemany media companies would welcome," said David Card, Jupiter vicepresident and research fellow. "But subscription revenues remain aselusive as they are attractive, forcing media companies to exploittheir assets online in as many creative ways as possible to compensatefor thin advertising revenues.

"This year's Media Forum will survey all the options mediaexecutives responsible for the revenues and strategic direction ofonline properties must aggressively explore in this market. Through twodays of data, dialogue and debate, attendees will learn how to liftrevenues through subscriptions, better understand what media buyerswant, squeeze more productivity out of sales forces, manage coststhrough skillful media asset management and deploy broadband-optimizedcontent."

For more information or to register for the Media Forum, "The Deathof Free Content?," visit www.jmm.com/mediaforum.