A Web Site’s For-Profit Approach to World News

GlobalPost, a new and upcoming online money maker, plans to make its debut on January 12, taking the place of 65 correspondents worldwide. GlobalPost offers a mixture of news and featured stories. Only a handful of news organizations can compete with them.

If their business plan succeeds, it will depend on how many people will sign up for the separate paid section of the site, which was suppose to be available in test mode beginning last week, but is expected to go online in a few days. GlobalPost, gets access from Passport, which includes reports on business topics that are not necessarily interesting to the general audiences, meetings with reporters, conference calls, and breaking news e-mail messages from journalists.

Passport subscribers can suggest article ideas and if you are a member you will also have a voice at editorial meetings. Passport is meant to creat a feeling of community for their subscribers who may see newsrooms as inaccessible. A dozen or more have signed up for Passport, including GlobalPost's other founder and the president and chief executive. They hope that marketing partners will generate the majority of the subscriptions.

"More encouragingly, a third revenue stream has been growing, as the company has signed up a growing number of news outlets, including The Daily News and The Boise Weekly of Idaho, to carry its reports and have use of its correspondents. CBS Radio News recently signed a nonexclusive deal. It will be able to call on GlobalPost correspondents during breaking news , as a backup to its own reporters, said Harvey Nagel, CBS New's vice president of radio."

“This is definitely a forward-looking model, but it remains to be seen whether the audience materializes and whether they can execute,” Mr. Mutter said, adding that “I think everyone wishes them well because they are pretty close to what the future will be for news publishing.”

Sci Fi Channel Has a New Name: Now, It’s Syfy

After many years of trying to find a name for the Sci Fi Channel, executives will submit for public approval for another name. SciFi and its companion Web site (scifi.com) will transform into Syfy on July 7. The new name will be joined by the slogan Imagine Greater, which will replace the logo version of Saturn.

The channel will not be confused with the SyFi Global, an information technology company; sold be Universal Beverages. The name will be introduced on Monday to agencies and advisers by the company executives of Sci Fi, which is a part of NBC Universal Cable Entertainment division of NBC Universal. There will be an upfront presentation to reveal the new name, where networks will try to win commitments by advertisers to block commercial time before the next season starts.

“The brand needed a little refreshing,” said Steve Mandala, executive vice president for cable ad sales at NBC Universal, who will be among those promoting Sci Fi — and Syfy — at the upfront presentation.

SciFi will have a trade campaign aimed at agencies, to publicize the new name, followed by ads on and off the channels for current and future viewers. Ms. Hammer acknowledged that although “there’s always a little bit of risk” in change, Sci Fi executives are experienced in responding to outspoken viewers.

Reaching Tech Folks on Their Turf

Spiceworks is a software company which has a very small audience and a small medium business that technology advertisers want to reach. Spiceworks is popular for corporate tech people, and they help one another with problems, as they share their favorite products and services.

Last year, advertisers have included Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Intel, Advance Micro Devices and Sony. Since the new advertisers have joined them their user base has doubled. Under one application the company has been able to download software that will help technology professionals manage, track and report their software and hardware for their companies network.

"Spiceworks has a unique vantage point that Google and trade magazines don’t have: it’s used only by I.T. professionals,” said Emily Riley, senior analyst with Forrester Research. “Marketers know exactly what products users have, what they need and what they’re considering.”

“We have all these users who connect with one another online, so we thought, ‘Why don’t we bring them all together so they can connect with us and each other in person?’ ” Mr. Hallberg said. “Our entire team was there, so they were able to meet the real people behind this technology. We created a relaxing and fun environment. It was such a success that we’re taking it on the road to at least five cities this year and probably 10 to 20 next year."

U.S. Is Said to Offer Another $30 Billion in Funds to A.I.G.

After the United States lent billions of dollars to the American International Group, better know as A.I.G., now they have the audacity to want more funding from the United States. As of Monday, March 2, 2009, A.I.G. was preparing to report a $62 billion lose the largest quarterly lose in history. This is the fourth time the government has given A.I.G. money so they would not have to file bankruptcy. The government now owns 80 percent of their holding company, because of the help A.I.G. received from them over the years. They received a $60 billion loan, a $40 billion purchase of shares and $50 billion to soak up the company's toxic assets.

With this new deal, it will cause even more financial risk for taxpayers at a time when Congress and the public are skeptical about the government bailing out private companies. A.I.G. has had more help from the government than any other company that has experience financial hardship.

What is going here? It is time that we hold companies like A.I.G. and others accountable for their actions. Whey should the taxpayer have to endure more of this behaviour. There is no way that A.I.G. should be in financial trouble with all the money the government and the Federal Reserve have given them. Maybe the government should stop helping, because it's only hurting the taxpayer's and the economy.