CMP's HomePC Teams With Bell Atlantic Directory Services to Offer Consumers An Internet Guide

From the editor's of CMP's HomePC magazine comes the newest member of the Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages family -- A Guide to the Internet and Online Services. A 12-page, four-color tabbed insert in Bell Atlantic's Yellow Pages, the guide is designed to introduce consumers to the information superhighway.

Bell Atlantic will roll out the first inserts in Elizabeth, NJ, and Loudon/Fauquier, VA, this March after which A Guide to the Internet and Online Services will become a standard part of the Bell Atlantic's Yellow Pages directories. Throughout the next two years, the guide will be included as a regular directory feature reaching nearly every consumer and business in the Bell-Atlantic region.

"Today people are inundated with so much information about the Internet, home pages and Web sites, and one result of this overload may well be total confusion," Ellen Pearlman, HomePC and A Guide to the Internet and Online Services Editor in Chief, said. "What Bell Atlantic and HomePC have done is provide consumers with a free, comprehensive, step-by-step approach to using and getting the most out of the Internet."

Written expressly for the novice Internet surfer, A Guide to the Internet and Online Services provides an overview of the Internet in easy-to-understand language. Topics include hardware and software requirements for accessing the Internet, a glossary of key computer terms, a step-by-step approach for connecting to the Web, tips on shopping for an Internet service provider and a list of recommended Web sites.

"With the rapid growth of the Internet and the shift from techie to mainstream usage, we believe that consumers will benefit from a how-to guide to the Internet," said Greg Hanifee, Bell Atlantic Internet Guide Product Manager. "With its standing as a provider of useful, consumer-friendly computer information, HomePC was a natural fit to oversee the what, how and why information contained in Bell Atlantic's guide."

A Guide to the Internet and Online Services is advertiser supported, and several advertising opportunities are available, including: premium space on the tab, display space in the Internet Guide and categorized Web sites.

Bell Atlantic Directory Services Inc. is a separate subsidiary of Bell Atlantic. Bell Atlantic Corp. (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, entertainment and information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high- growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corp. of New Zealand and is actively developing high-growth national and international business opportunities in all phases of the industry.

HomePC magazine is published monthly by CMP Media Inc. HomePC provides easy-to-understand information about home computers, and each issue is packed with engaging features, trouble-shooting tips and first-hand product reviews. The magazine's editors and columnists are the foremost experts in education, entertainment, and productivity products for home computers -- and can be reached via America Online (keyword: HomePC) or on the Internet at http://www.homepc.com/.

CMP Media Inc. provides publishing, marketing and information services to the entire high-technology spectrum--the builders, sellers and users of technology -- through print and electronic media. All of CMP's publications and online products can be accessed through the company's TechWeb® site on the World Wide Web (http://www.techweb.com/). CMP's print titles include NetGuide Magazine, Windows Magazine and InformationWeek.

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SOURCE: CMP Media Inc.

CONTACT: Leslie Dunbar of CMP Media, 516-562-7040 or ldunbar@cmp.com