Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Non-Tech : E4L, Inc. (NYSE: ETV) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: R Fish who wrote (876)	12/29/1998 9:35:00 PM
From: Luce Wildebeest	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1080

Some news taken from the yahoo thread... Dow Jones Newswires -- December 29, 1998 National Media Up 7%; Sources Cite Internet Talk NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--National Media Corp. (NM) shares climbed 7.4% Tuesday amid rumors about a possible deal between the infomercial broadcaster and a large Internet portal company, market participants said. Market chit-chat about such a deal isn't new. Emerald Research analyst Joseph E. Besecker said he heard rumors in the same vein several weeks ago. According to murmurings heard by Bob McCollough, a portfolio manager with McCollough Andrews & Capp, a deal with the likes of America Online Inc. (AOL) or Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO) might be in the works, under which National Media would pay rent to the portal for the right to hawk its wares there. McCollough, whose firm owns more than 5% of the company's shares, cautioned, however, that there is "nothing substantial" to such talk. National Media officials couldn't be reached for comment. Emerald's Besecker, meanwhile, said the rumor mill has it wrong. More likely than the above scenario, he speculated, National Media stands to benefit indirectly from Cendant Corp.'s (CD) sale of NetMarket, a shopping World Wide Web site on which National Media has shown its diverse offerings since September in its own area, called Everything4Less. According to Besecker, Cendant has made it known that NetMarket is on the auction block, particularly among buyers with high enough stock prices to offer Cendant a savory deal, namely, a high-flying Internet portal company. Selling NetMarket to an Internet portal would "add value" to the site, the analyst said, by boosting its visibility among Web surfers and, therefore, potentially increasing Everything4Less's sales. A sort of cyber price-club in the mold of real-world members-only warehouse chain Costco Cos. (COST), Everything4Less generates revenue by charging about $72 a year in membership fees, said Ted Henderson, an analyst with Janco Partners Inc. National Media has been touting the site on its infomercials, offering free trial memberships to its call-in buyers. As of late November, the company said, Everything4Less had 25,000 trial members, which Henderson expects to reach 75,000 by March 31, 1999. Despite all the hubbub, infomercials remain National Media's chief moneymaker by far, according to Henderson. His Internet sales projections are based on a five-year business model, rendering the estimation of any actual earnings nearly impossible. National Media's NYSE-listed shares rose 3/4 to 10 7/8 on volume of 2.1 million compared with average daily volume of 705,200. -By Scott Eden; 201-938-5173 National Media Corp. spokesman Bruce Goodman later declined to comment on market rumors, which say the company might be nearing a deal with an Internet portal. "We just don't comment on rumors," he said. -Scott Eden; 201-938-5173