The Industry Standard GROK Debuts; Special Reports Drill Down Into Key Areas of the Internet Economy

Business Wire, August 10, 2000

Business Editors/Internet Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 10, 2000

Standard Media International ("The Standard"), publisher of the two-year-old Industry Standard magazine, released the premier issue of The Industry Standard GROK(TM), its special reports publication that focuses on key growth sectors of the Internet Economy.

A perfect-bound supplement to The Industry Standard magazine, GROK will automatically be sent to The Industry Standard's 150,000 subscribers and will be sold at newsstands for $4.95 per copy. Each issue of GROK will tackle a different area of business and the Internet, with the September premier issue focusing on entertainment. The October issue will explore education, while November is slated for wireless. Other planned topics include retail, travel and transportation, health and medicine, and financial services.

"We created GROK in response to readers' overwhelming interest in The Industry Standard's special reports and their desire for in-depth analysis of the way the Internet is affecting various sectors of the economy," said GROK Editor Bob Cohn. "With GROK, we can provide a more thorough examination of the issues -- offering everything from feature stories to metrics coverage to short takes on the trends in the news."

"Grok," which means to thoroughly understand and absorb what is happening and why, has become strongly identified with the company's brand: Three of The Standard's 19 widely read online newsletters are "Media Grok," Stock Grok," and "Shop Grok."

Contributors to the launch issue of The Industry Standard GROK include Bernard Weinraub of The New York Times, Kara Swisher of The Wall Street Journal, and Kim Masters of Inside.com -- plus a range of journalists from The Industry Standard. Highlights from the premier issue of The Industry Standard GROK include:

-- What's the Internet industry's dirty little secret? The

smartest business move for tech companies is to climb into bed

with adult sites. Porn sites are not only an excellent testing

ground for hardware; they are also a source for lucrative

customers. When it comes to adult sites, the motto of most

tech companies seems to be: Don't ask, don't tell, do sell.

Page 74.

-- The AOL Time Warner merges some giant egos. The $124 billion

question: Can they get along? Page 108.

-- Melanie Griffith recently made her debut as a Web mogul,

hailing the Internet as the "freeway to the future." It's

certainly getting jammed with celebrities. Forget directing;

what stars really want these days is to take their act online.

Page 78.

-- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to hook a Web cam in

his office to record his every move on www.dallascowboys.com.

He wants to charge visitors but the National Football League

is digging in to stop his newfound enthusiasm for the

Internet. Page 52.

-- Embattled cable TV boss Frank Biondi has been chased from the

helm at three media empires. He could have retired on

severance pay. Instead, he found a new lease online. Page 98.

-- 70% of online users are seeking out entertainment-related

content -- but what are the top draws? Where do porn and

gambling fit? How quickly will the U.S. embrace interactive

TV? Grok rounds up the latest stats in the monthly feature

"Metrics." Page 150.

PLUS:

-- In a portfolio of eight feature interviews, read how the Web

is changing entertainers' lives and careers.

-- Inside the brain behind PlayStation 2.

-- Sites to Watch: the hottest tickets in Web entertainment.

ABOUT THE STANDARD

Headquartered in San Francisco and located on the Web at www.TheStandard.com, The Standard is the essential source for business intelligence on the Internet Economy. Through The Industry Standard, its weekly newsmagazine; TheStandard.com, its daily news outlet and business intelligence resource; its conferences and events; and its online newsletter, research, recruiting and market-making offerings, The Standard provides a new breed of business leaders with the information and resources they need to succeed in the Internet Economy. The Standard has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., and London, and is owned by Standard Media International, a private company majority owned by IDG.

ABOUT IDG

IDG, the world's leading IT media, research and exposition company, is a founder of The Industry Standard and the majority owner of Standard Media International. IDG publishes more than 300 computer magazines and newspapers and 4,000 book titles and offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (www.idg.net), which comprises more than 270 targeted Web sites in 70 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions worldwide, and provides IT market analysis through 51 offices in 43 countries worldwide. Company information is available at www.idg.com.

Note to Editors: The Industry Standard GROK is a trademark of Standard Media International.