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The web site that made headlines last year for airing the video of Daniel Pearl’s murder has been disabled by its registrar. The German web site Ogrish.com’s domain name was snipped from Joker.com’s registry after a local prosecutor served an order accusing the site of “glamorizing brutal force.” Ogrish.com is definitely not for the squeamish. The site features pictures of autopsies and medical procedures, and last May posted the video of Wall Street Journal reporter Pearl’s murder. It’s surely not to everyone’s taste, but internet free speech advocates are understandably concerned. Precedents are set in this area virtually every time an issue surfaces. Dusseldorf authorities have ordered American web sites to be blocked by internet service providers before. But Jokester.com’s dealings with its clients are governed by business, not ethical, concerns. In the meantime, Virginia-based ProHosters.com has taken over hosting of the site at Ogrish.prohosters.com. Ogrish officials say they would like to transfer permanently to a U.S. registrar but have not done so yet.
Former Yahoo boss beats racism charges
Yahoo’s former president has been cleared of condoning war crimes by allowing Nazi-related relics to be sold. Timothy Koogle was acquitted by a French court Tuesday for violating a French law that prohibits exhibiting or selling products with racist overtones. While the French version of Yahoo did not offer these items for sale, the American version, still accessible in France, had Third Reich memorabilia available. A U.S. judge overruled a 2000 French court ruling that Yahoo thus had to block French citizens from logging on to the site. In 2001, Jewish groups in France filed protests. Yahoo has yanked most of the Nazi-related sales from its site, allowing only stamps, transport tokens and coins to be auctioned.
AOL's subscribers fall as Road Runner's soar
Could America Online’s recent subscriber hemorrhage be blamed on a sister company? Road Runner, a broadband service provider also owned by AOL Time Warner, has reported a double-digit percentage increase in subscribers during the fourth quarter, a period during which AOL lost about 100,000. That’s the first time America Online ever has registered a dial-up subscriber decline, and some blame it on increased interest in broadband. Road Runner’s high-speed service, the only type it offers, is $44.95 per month. Despite being owned by the same company, AOL and Road Runner do not co-operate. Road Runner and parent Time Warner Cable added 1 million subscribers last year, nearly doubling its total number of subscriptions to 2.6 million.
New in personals: Valentine matches via cell
As if the romance of Valentine’s Day hasn’t been crushed already by crass marketing, here’s another blow. For those too busy to actually sit down and log onto their computers to meet someone, personals site Match.com has teamed with AT&T wireless to offer mobile phone matchmaking. Yesterday the two companies launched the new cell phone service, which allows members to match themselves based on location. Right now the pairings are based on zip codes, although Match hopes to advance the technology so that matches are made via cell phone geography. Although search engines will not reveal location, they will connect wireless chatters. There’s certainly a market for the innovation. According to comScore Networks’ Media Metrix, U.S. visitors to online personals sites jumped 31 percent last year to peak at 26.6 million visitors in December. Match.com, with 5.7 million users, leads the pack.
TheStreet.com boosts revenues in fourth quarter
TheStreet.com narrowed its fourth-quarter losses last year through reduced expenses and a spike in revenue. Increased subscriptions and marketing helped boost the company. The online financial news provider reported an $814,764 burn, compared to $6.1 million the year before. At the same time, TheStreet.com lost $1.2 million, compared to a loss of $6.2 million in 2001. That also bettered third-quarter losses of $1.8 million. Revenues reached $6 million, nearly doubling 2001’s $3.8 million fourth-quarter revenues. TheStreet.com reported fourth-quarter subscription revenues of $4.3 million, up 64 percent, and advertising revenue of $1.4 million, up 30 percent.
February 13, 2003© 2003 Media Life
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