Multimedia Leaders to Tackle the Practical Challenges and Rewards of Multi-Platform Operations at Partnership for Online and Beyond Seminar

For Immediate Release

Reston, VA - Some of multimedia's most respected practitioners will impart hard-won wisdom and practical advice to participants of the Partnership for Online and Beyond seminar, to take place April 26 to 30 in Reston, Virginia. The 2004 version of The Media Center's flagship program, previously named Digital News Management, brings together teams of senior executives from both Web and traditional media operations to focus on building lasting multi-platform strategies and infrastructure. Geared to international and national markets, the program features a powerful roster of multimedia thinkers and leaders who will act as discussion leaders to help participants streamline their Web/other media connection and strengthen cross-company cooperation. They include:

* Len Apcar, Editor-In-Chief, New York Times Digital
* Ned Desmond, Executive Editor, Time Inc. Interactive
* Alan Gregerman, Author of "Lessons from the Sandbox"
* Retha Hill, Vice President for Content Development, BET.com
* Gary Kebbel, Director of AOL News Services
* Chris McGill, Director of News and Information, Yahoo!
* Nic Newman, Head of Editorial Development and Technology, BBC News Interactive
* Chris Schroeder, Vice President of Strategy, The Washington Post Company
* John Seigenthaler, Founder of The Freedom Forum's First Amendment Center.
* Carlos Silva, Senior Vice President, AOL News and Sports
* Scott Woelfel, Co-Founder of CNN.com; President & CEO of Armchair Media

Former CNN executive/Media Center Senior Fellow Carin Dessauer is program chair and moderator.

Participants will spend a day at the media conglomerate of Gannett and USA Today/USAToday.com, hosted by USAToday.com Senior Vice President and Publisher Jeff Webber, USAToday.com's Editor in Chief Kinsey Wilson, Gannett Broadcasting Senior Vice President Dick Mallary, Gannett Company Senior Vice President for News Phil Currie, Gannett Company Senior Vice President for Diversified Business and Development Jack Williams, and Gannett Director of News Development Jennifer Carroll. They will also visit The Freedom Forum and the Dulles, Virginia, headquarters of America Online.

In addition, each media company will take home a powerful tool to inspire immediate action--a written strategic analysis of their organization's Web site conducted by online publishing expert and former LATimes.com editor Leah Gentry.

The program for Partnership for Online and Beyond includes case studies and a rigorous, hands-on workshop on culture and management. Session topics include the state of digital news; branding and convergence; media consumption and the future of news; business and legal challenges; linking strategy and user experience; global multimedia; and the unholy alliance of revenue and "journalism."

For more details, visit

A May version of Partnership for Online and Beyond, geared to regional and local markets, is also open for registration. For details, visit www.mediacenter.org/04/OnlineBeyondApril

For information about these programs or about The Media Center, contact Gloria Pan, Media Center communications director, at (703) 715-3301 or gpan@mediacenter.org

About The Media Center at the American Press Institute

The Media Center is a non-profit research and educational think tank committed to building a better-informed society in a connected world. The Media Center conducts research, educational programs and symposia and facilitates strategic conversations and planning on issues shaping the future of news, information and media.

The Media Center helps leaders, organizations and educators around the world understand and create multimedia futures. Its programs and engagements provide innovation, knowledge and strategic insights for personal, professional and business growth.
A division of The American Press Institute, The Media Center was established in 1997 to help the news industry devise strategies and tactics for digital media. In September 2003 it merged with New Directions for News, an independent media futures think tank. The merger created a global, multi-disciplinary network of researchers and leading thinkers focused on the future of media and the behaviors of consumers in a media-centric world.

For more on The Media Center's programs, research and services, go to

Gloria Pan
Communications Director
The Media Center at API
11690 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston, VA, 20191-1498
(703) 715-3301
gpan@mediacenter.org