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Thursday, November 16
 
ESPN.Com and ESPN The Magazine launch "The Pulse"

November 16, 2000

On Thursday, Nov. 16, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine begin taking The Pulse of sports on the Internet. The new site - an online extension of The Magazine and its front-of-the-book section called The Pulse - is an innovative, interactive guide that scours the Internet for time-saving links to the best sports sites and stories each weekday. ESPN.com is part of Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG).

The Pulse (http://www.espnmag.com) will offer a daily Pulse Rate, translating the ebb and flow of sports news into a lively and entertaining blend of original content. With columns, daily tidbits from magazine staffers, photography, video and multimedia features, The Pulse also promises to use the Internet to break down the walls between the award-winning biweekly and its more than 8 million readers.

Based in The Magazine's New York office, a dedicated "Pulse" team headed by senior editor Jon Scher will generate daily content with the following interactive elements:
  • Site Lines- An ever-changing roster of links to the best sports features on the Net. Users are invited to bookmark The Pulse and return every weekday for blue-plate specials designed to simplify and streamline their lunchtime Web surfing.
  • Original Columns- ESPN The Magazine executive editor and award-winning writer Steve Wulf leads a roster of columnists who will contribute regular features to the site, along with Gene Wojciechowski, Tim Keown, David Fleming, Jeff Bradley, Alan Grant, E.J. Hradek and Bruce Feldman, not to mention "The Gamer" and "The Answer Guy."
  • Multimedia Extensions- Provides fans with dynamic access to the personalities and stories covered in the magazine. Featured at launch is "This Is SportsCenter" - a 360-degree interactive, behind-the-scenes virtual tour of the new ESPN set; a Flash guide to sports radio on the Internet; video clips of Steve Francis' recent cover shoot with the music group Destiny's Child; and a "Zoom" photo essay with the best photographs from The Magazine's college basketball preview issue.
  • The Big Five- An often amusing, always incisive ranking of the big names and stories of each day, featuring links to corresponding pages on ESPN.com.
  • Tomorrow's Headlines Today- A daily ticker that offers a whimsical, humorous spin on what we might like to see in the next day's headlines - but don't really expect to happen.
  • Pulsecards- Magazine writers check in by e-mail from their travels, taking readers inside the stories and up close to the athletes they cover. A "reply" button will invite readers to participate in the conversation.

    "The Pulse is a perfect online extension of ESPN The Magazine and will give that same attitude and insight to which its readers are accustomed as well as an even more in-depth look at the world of sports online," said John Skipper, senior vice president and general manager, ESPN Internet Group.

    ESPN The Magazine Editor in Chief John Papanek added: "The Pulse of sports beats faster some times and steadier at others. This site will mirror that while extending the experience of The Magazine online to bring readers into our everyday world. With all original and dynamic content, they'll get the feeling of talking sports with us, sitting in on our meetings, going on assignment and meeting athletes with our writers and reporters." ESPN.com, the leading sports Web site, is part of the Walt Disney Internet Group (NYSE:DIG). WDIG manages some of the Internet's most popular Web sites, including ABC.com, ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com, Disney.com, Disneystore.com, DisneyTravel.com, ESPN.com, Family.com, GO.com, Movies.com, Mr. Showbiz, NASCAR Online, NBA.com, NFL.com and Soccernet. The Internet Group also includes The Walt Disney Company's direct marketing business. Steve Bornstein is chairman of Walt Disney Internet Group, which is headquartered in North Hollywood, Calif., with operations in Sunnyvale, Calif.; Seattle; New York; Bristol, Conn.; and London. For more information, visit our web site at www.dig.com ().

    ESPN The Magazine is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.




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