Integrated Media Consortium Launches with 10 Members

Chicago, IL. Alan Douglas and Bill Walker announced today the launch of the Integrated Media Consortium (IMC) a voluntary buying cooperative for publishing companies. The consortium will be owned and run by the members and the founders. The objective of IMC is to improve the bottom line of small and medium-sized magazine publishing companies ($3-200 million in annual revenues) serving b2b, b2c, consumer and custom markets by providing financial benefits through consolidation of volume purchasing. This consolidation will make it possible for the consortium to reach strategic benchmarks that warrant pricing typically reserved only for the largest-volume buyers.

"We will launch the consortium with our founding members." said Bill Walker who will become president of the new venture. "Our ten founding members include Allured Publishing, Douglas Publications LLC., Dowden Health Media, Edgell Communications, Farm Journal Media, Meister Media Worldwide, Northstar Travel Media LLC. NTP Media Inc., Putman Media and Stamats Communications, Inc."

Alan M. Douglas, President Douglas Publications and Chairman of IMC said "These companies represent over 90 magazines and directories. This should give us a solid foundation from which to launch the consortium and to begin to achieve our goals of leveraging our size with suppliers in printing, paper, fulfillment, freight forwarding, general office supplies, travel services and telephone categories.

Humphrey Tyler President of NTP Media Inc. and Chairman of ABM's Smaller Publishers Advisory Committee said "As one of the first members to sign on I am glad to see we have members of such caliber who were willing to stand up and get this started."

Gordon Hughes, President and CEO of American Business Media said, "With smaller publishers representing over 70% of our membership we believe the IMC will provide value to ABM's constituency."

IMC will look to grow to 23 companies by year end 2005.

IMC will retain Peter Craig of Bay Sherman Craig & Goldstein as financial advisor and Dorsey & Whitney LLP as legal counsel.