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HarperCollins Ties

Into Fox Film Launch;

Starts New Imprints

Anastasia Headed for Top

NEW YORK, NY/LATE AUGUST '97--HarperCollins will enlarge its presence in the markeptlace this fall and winter by launching two new imprints, and unveiling a special publishing program to tie into Twentieth Century Fox's release of the animated feature film, Anastasia.

HarperCollins will launch Cliff Street Books this fall, and expects to publish about 15 titles per year. The eclectic line of fiction and non-fiction titles, will operate as an autonomous unit, under the guidance of senior vice president Diane Reverand, who has also been named publisher of the imprint.

A new literary imprint, HarperFlamingo, will be operated under HarperCollins Adult Trade, with the first titles scheduled for release in January '98. HarperCollins editor-in-chief and associate publisher Joelle DelBourego, and HarperPerennial publishing director Susan Weinberg, will head the unit.

Meanwhile, HarperCollins Children's Books plans to publish 12 titles directed at children ages 3-12 to tie into the November, 1997 release of Anastasia, Twentieth Century Fox's first feature-length animated film.

Anastasia is the story of the lost Russian princess, rumored to be the last surviving member of the Romanov royal family. The film will feature the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria and Kelsey Grammer.

HarperCollins' tie-in publishing program will include mid-range and high-end picture books as well as novelty items. The first printing run will number 1.5 million books.

Both HarperCollins and Twentieth Century Fox are supporting the joint film/publishing launch with one of the most aggressive sales and marketing initiatives in their respective histories.

Golden Books

Joins Anastasia

Push At Fox

Golden Books Family Entertainment, joining similar marketing efforts with HarperCollins (see story above), will develop a series of books tying with the Twentieth Century Fox film, Anastasia for release to stores this fall.

Anastasia is the story of the lost Russian princess, rumored to be the last surviving member of the Romanov royal family. The film will feature the voices of Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Angela Lansbury, Christopher Lloyd, Hank Azaria and Kelsey Grammer.

Golden Books will feature Anastasia in storybooks, sound books, activity books, coloring books, and educational workbooks, and will help support Twentieth Century Fox's unprecedented marketing campaign. Anastasia is Fox's first feature-length animated film, scheduled for release in November '97.

Simon & Schuster

Names Two Execs

To Trade Division

NEW YORK,NY/LATE AUGUST '97--David Rosenthal has been named vice president /publisher, and Annik LaFarge, vice president/associate publisher of the Simon & Schuster Trade Division, effective September 29. The appointments were announced by Carolyn Reidy, president and publisher of the Trade Division.

Mr. Rosenthal will join the other publishers of the Simon & Schuster Trade Division -- Paula Duffy for The Free Press, Mark Gompertz for the Trade Paperback group, and Susan Moldow for Scribner -- in reporting to Ms. Reidy.

David Rosenthal has been senior vice president and publisher of Villard, an imprint of Random House, Inc., since 1994. Included among the authors he has acquired, edited, and published are Jon Krakauer, Richard Russo, Jonathan Winters, Nicholson Baker, Robert Harris, Henry Beard, Hunter S. Thompson, Kirk Douglas, James Carville, Jan Morris, Daniel Silva, Bill McKibben, Richard Ben Cramer, Bill Maher, Tim Cahill, Bob Dylan, Stephen Hunter and Don Imus.

Annik LaFarge has been vice president and associate publisher of Villard Books since 1994. She has worked at Random House, Inc. for the past fourteen years. Ms LaFarge began her publishing career in Simon & Schuster's publicity department in 1982.

The Simon & Schuster Trade Division is a unit of the Simon & Schuster Consumer Group. Simon & Schuster-- the publishing operation of Viacom Inc.-- is the world's largest educational and English language book publisher and a global leader in consumer, business, professional and reference publishing. Its imprints include Simon & Schuster, Simon & Schuster Interactive, Scribner, Pocket Books, The Free Press, Prentice Hall, Silver Burdett Ginn, Allyn & Bacon, Computer Curriculum Corporation, Educational Management Group and Macmillan Publishing USA..

Berkley To Release

Original Paperbacks

For Clancy TV Tie-in

NEW YORK, NY/LATE AUGUST '97--Berkley Publishing Group will support the 1998 premiere of novelist Tom Clancy's ABC television miniseries, Tom Clancy's Netforce, by publishing a series of original paperbacks which closely tie to topics on the TV series.

The TV series, created by Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, in conjunction with BIG Entertainment, focuses on a near-future world where Netforce, a paramilitary organization charged with keeping order on the Internet.

Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., will publish adult and young adult mass market titles with similar or complimentary themes.

Tom Clancy's Netforce is a property of Netco Partners, which is a joint venture between BIG Entertainment and C.P. Group;. The C.P. Group is a venture of Tom Clancy and Steve Pieczenik, psychiatrist and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, where he served as a top hostage negotiator.

Penguin Putnam Inc. is owned by Pearson plc, an international media group. Berkley is Tom Clancy's paperback publisher.

Golden to Create

New Stine Imprint

With Parachute

Golden Books Family Entertainment has agreed to co-publish a new series of thrillers for older children by bestselling children's author, R.L. Stine. Golden, together with Stine's own Parachute Press (Parachute Properties), will publish about 65 new titles in three series: Stine's Fear Street, Ghosts of Fear Street and Fear Street Sagas, currently published by Archway, an imprint of Pocket Books. Stine is also author of the popular Goosebumps series by Scholastic.

The new line, yet unnamed, will enable Golden to expand its market to reach eight-14-year-olds. Pocket will keep the Fear Street backlist.

Penguin Putnam

Discontinues Two

Children's Imprints

Penguin Putnam Children's Division has dropped two imprints, Lodestar Books and Cobblehill Books. Selected authors and titles from the defunct lines will move to Dutton, according to Penguin Children's Division president Douglas Whiteman.

Torstar Sells

Catalogue Unit

For $27 Million

TORONTO,CANADA/LATE AUGUST '97--Torstar Corporation(TSE, ME TS.) has completed the sale of its Catalogue Marketing business, Miles Kimball, to a management group for about $27 million.

Miles Kimball, based in Oshkosh Wisconsin, is one of the largest direct mail marketers of home and gift products in the United States.

As part of the transaction, Torstar will re-invest $4 million in preferred shares and warrants of the new Miles Kimball Company, allowing Torstar to participate in future gains in value of the company.

David Galloway, Torstar's Chief Executive Officer, said "Miles Kimball was a good investment for Torstar over the years, but catalogue marketing is not one of our core businesses. We believe that the new owners will continue to grow the business in the future."

Torstar Corporation is a broadly based publishing company. Its operations include The Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper; Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing, publishers of community newspapers and distributors of advertising materials; Harlequin Enterprises, the world's largest publisher of series romance fiction; the Children's Supplementary Educational Publishing Division, which publishes and produces educational products for teachers, parents and children under the Frank Schaffer, Tom Snyder Productions, Delta Education, Brighter Vision and Troll Communications names.

Harcourt To Buy

Medical Science

Unit From Pearson

In a move to strengthen certain lines of business abroad, Harcourt General has acquired medical science publisher Churchill Livingstone from Pearson for $92.5 million in cash.

Based in Edinburgh and New York City, about 60% of Churchill's revenues are generated overseas. Founded in 1821, the company publishes 1500 books and CD-ROMs and 70 journals, and has approximately five branch offices.

Late last year, Harcourt's international unit bought Mosby/Doyma Libros, the second-largest Spanish-language medical publisher with about $14 million in sales, from Times Mirror. Churchill will become part of the international unit, but will continue to operate under the same imprint name.

Time Warner

To Sell TV Unit

In New Zealand

NEW YORK,NY/ LATE AUGUST '97--TimeWarner Cable will sell its $54 million stake in New Zealand-based Sky Television to Independent Newspaper Ltd., also of New Zealand.

Time Warner owns 13% of the subscription TV operation, which it acquired through partial ownership in New Zealand's HKP Partnership. The partners, including Americtech, Bell Atlantic and Tele-Communications International, have also agreed to sell their investment in Sky to Independent Newspaper Ltd., giving the newspaper group about 50% ownership of Sky.

Universal Studios

To Launch Branded

TV Channels

Senior VP Named

UNIVERSAL CITY, CA/LATE AUGUST '97-- Universal Studios will develop and launch a series of group of branded television channels throughout the world under its newly-formed Universal Studios Networks division. Blair Westlake, President, Universal Studios Pay Television and Television Business Development made the announcement.

Universal has also appointed Tony Garland as senior vice president, managing director, Universal Studios Networks. He will oversee the launch of the networks from his base in London.

Garland will also work closely with Universal Studios Television Business Development, the unit responsible for television strategy, developing new television opportunities, distribution of channels, and ancillary businesses.

Universal plans to create and launch, or invest in, cable/direct-to-home and broadcast program services in key markets, utilizing Universal's creative resources and vast motion picture and television library.

Garland joins Universal from MTV Networks, Inc., where he served as executive vice president, MTVN International.

Universal Studios Pay Television and Universal Studios Networks are a part of Universal Studios, a unit of The Seagram Company Ltd., a global beverage and entertainment company.

Justice Dept. Okays

Sinclair Purchase

Of Heritage Media

BALTIMORE, MD/LATE AUGUST '97-- The US Department of Justice Antitrust Division said recently it has no objection to The News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) acquisition of Heritage Media Corporation.

The informal ruling paves the way for a merger between the two companies, and the subsequent acquisition of Heritage Media by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SBGI).

Sinclair's purchase of the Heritage Media's television and radio stations is subject to FCC and Justice Department approval, and shareholder approvals well. Sinclair expects to complete the acquisition by the first quarter of 1998.

Publisher Offers

Customized Credit

Books Online

NEW YORK, NY LATE AUGUST, '97--St. Martin's Press authors Todd Birman and David Masten are the first to sell one-of-a-kind credit books through the Internet.

The authors of traditional books on the subject of credit-- The Guerilla Guide to Credit Repair (ST MARTIN'S PRESS, '94), and The Fix Your Credit Work book (ST MARTIN'S PRESS '97)-- Birman and Masten have developed an online consumer publishing business, Credit Insider, Inc.

Taking advantage of the speed, flexibility and individual contact available through the Internet, the New York-based Credit Insider,Inc. offers up-to-date "books" customized to fit the consumer's particular need or problem. After a free telephone consultation, customers can purchase a custom credit repair book containing documents and instructions for solving their specific problem. The publication is delivered by down-loading or through regular mail.

Credit Insider's web address is: www.creditinsider.com.

Readers Digest

Book Profits

Show Decline

CEO Resigns

Readers Digest Books & Home Entertainment Products (BHEP) dropped 12% to $1.9 billion from $2.1 billion for the year ended June 30, 1997. Declining book sales reportedly accounted for nearly half of the drop. Profits for the year were down 38% to $201 million.

The declines were attributed to reduced sales in Europe, and to higher inventory write-offs due to poor customer response.

Shortly before results were released, CEO Jim Schadt resigned. Industry insiders said poor performance had more to do with general sluggishness in the industry rather than to Schadt's leadership.

Dove Reports

25% Increase

In Revenues

Dove Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:DOVE) has increased its revenues for the quarter ended June 30, 1997 by 25%. The company reported income of $3,759,000, compared with $2,992,000 for the comparable period in 1996.

Employee separation costs and discontinued product lines contributed to a net loss of $4,889,000 ($1.07 loss per share) for the quarter, compared to a net loss of $2,669,000 ($0.47 loss per share) for the same period in the previous year.

Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 1997 were $6,420,000 compared with $10,599,000 for the same period in 1996. A net loss of $8,313,000 was incurred for the six months ended June 30, 1997 compared with a net loss of $2,168,000 for the same period in the prior year.

Dove attributed the increase in revenues for the quarter to an increase of 22% in net publishing sales, primarily due to lower returns of audio book product, and increased film revenues from the first three months of operations for newly-acquired Dove Four Point. Though publishing revenues increased 22% for the quarter, tight working capital delayed the planned release of most printed book titles and some audio titles.

TV Executive

Tartikoff Dies

At Age 48

Brandon Tartikoff, popular television executive of the 1980's, died August 27 in Los Angeles of complications from Hodgkin's disease. He was age 48.

In charge of programming for NBC through the 1980's, he was credited with boosting the NBC network ratings with such successful shows as "cheers" and 'The Cosby Show" and LA Law."

Tartikoff later held executive posts at Paramount Pictures and New World Entertainment. More recently he operated his own production company and was creating a new literary imprint for Avon Books, and was involved in business ventures with America On Line and Spike Lee.

Tartikoff had battled Hodgkin's disease during much of his life.

Belo Names

Pikes As VP,

Internal Audit

DALLAS,TX LATE AUGUST '97--Belo (NYSE: BLC) has named Fritzi G. Pikes vice president of Belo's Internal Audit department, effective September 8, 1997. Michael J. McCarthy, Belo's senior corporate vice president/general counsel and secretary made the announcement.

Before joining Belo, Ms. Pikes was finance manager of the cost, inventory and audit division of Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector in Austin, Texas, from 1995 to 1997. She was responsible for the development and implementation of the division's strategic plan, which included 32 operations in 12 countries.

Belo is one of the nation's largest media companies with a diversified group of television broadcasting, newspaper publishing, cable network and electronic media assets.

Belo's Publishing Division is headed by The Dallas Morning News (dallasnews.com), which has the country's seventh largest Sunday circulation and ninth largest daily circulation, and the Providence Journal-Bulletin (projo.com), the leading newspaper in Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts. Belo also owns various other newspapers.