CMP Media Acquires TechOnLine - Leading Provider of Online Technical Education, Training and Product Evaluation

Acquisition Creates Powerhouse Industry Resource

PRNewswire-FirstCall
SAN FRANCISCO
Aug 18, 2005

CMP Media (http://www.cmp.com/) today announced that it has acquired TechOnLine (www.TechOnLine.com). The combination of CMP Electronics Group's more than 14 market-leading media properties such as EE Times, DesignLines and Embedded Systems Conferences with TechOnLine's leading online educational resources, training and product evaluation services will create the most comprehensive set of news, information and education resources available to the electronics industry. CMP Media Electronics group will retain the TechOnLine brand and TechOnLine's current executive leadership will remain in their positions managing TechOnLine's products and services.

"The acquisition of TechOnLine creates a uniquely powerful resource and further strengthens the CMP Media Electronics Group's dominant position in the Electronics Industry," said Paul Miller, vice president and group publisher of the CMP Media Electronics Group. "By adding TechOnLine's rich offerings in online technical education, training and virtual product evaluation to our industry leading media and event properties, we're creating an incredibly valuable resource for our audience and becoming an even more integral part of their daily working life."

TechOnLine has created a worldwide community of more than 335,000 engineering professionals by providing online information, resources and training materials to the electronics technology community. TechOnLine's product and services suite include:

   --  TechOnLine Webcast -- Webcasts showcasing the latest product launches
       and product updates while broadcasting to electronic technology
       engineers worldwide
   --  Custom Courseware -- Customizable and highly specialized technical
       online courses
   --  Private Campus -- Customizable virtual campuses for companies to
       train and certify customers, partners and employees, as well as
       evaluate and demonstrate products
   --  Private Campus Express -- Customizable online learning environment
       for project-based programs
   --  TechOnLine VirtuaLab -- Patented technology enabling electronics
       technology professionals to connect and evaluate hardware through the
       Internet

"Joining the CMP Media Electronics Group was the next logical step for us as it compliments our current membership base as well as extends our reach to add more value in the electronics technology community," said Derek Dunaway, TechOnLine CEO. "Our combined resources create the ultimate professional information and education source for the electronics technology industry."

This acquisition comes at a time when CMP Media's Electronics Group is realigning its business and editorial strategy across its various print, online and event properties to offer readers, advertisers and strategic partners a fully integrated, comprehensive and truly unique messaging and media platform. The new strategy, called "Heads Up/Heads Down," refers to disseminating different types of information to readers, online visitors and conference attendees across a mix of media vehicles aligned with the way they prefer to receive it, while providing advertisers and strategic partners a sophisticated integrated set of vehicles to target messages and effectively reach the largest number of electronics professionals worldwide. Details of CMP's "Heads Up/Heads Down" strategy will be introduced in September 2005.

About CMP Media's Electronics Group

The CMP Media Electronics Group is the premier technology and business media brand serving the information needs of the creators of technology worldwide through print, online and conferences.

As the most comprehensive and integrated source of electronics technology information, the CMP Media Electronics Group offers a full suite of products and services to reach the largest number of electronics systems design professionals throughout the world. With its combination of media properties, CMP Media Electronics Group focuses on delivering a targeted audience and actionable information to marketers in the electronics technology community.

Each month, CMP Media Electronics Group delivers more than 1 million copies of its publications in five languages to subscribers in 55 countries, and online visitors from more than 100 countries view more than 7.5 million pages on its Web sites in six different languages. Each year, more than 35,000 decision makers from 48 countries attend CMP Electronics Group conferences in North America, China, Taiwan and Europe.

  CMP Media's Electronics Group properties include:

   --  Print -- EE Times, Embedded Systems Programming, Electronics Supply &
       Manufacturing
   --  Online -- EE Times Online, DesignLines, PlanetAnalog.com,
       Embedded.com, my-esm.com, CommsDesign.com, and SupplyLines
   --  Conferences -- Embedded Systems Conferences, Embedded Connect and
       Design Seminars

  About CMP Media

CMP Media (www.cmp.com) is the leading integrated media solutions company providing "broad and deep" access to the entire technology spectrum -- the builders, sellers and buyers of technology worldwide. The company's comprehensive database of technology decision makers enables marketers to reach targeted audiences throughout the purchase process with publications, web offerings, face-to-face events, consulting and other marketing services that deliver actionable results.

   For more information:
   Michelle Sabolich
   Atomic PR for CMP Media Electronics Group
   415-402-0230
   michelle.sabolich@atomicpr.com

SOURCE: CMP Media

CONTACT: Michelle Sabolich of Atomic PR, +1-415-402-0230, or
michelle.sabolich@atomicpr.com, or for CMP Media Electronics Group

Web site: http://www.techonline.com/
/Web site: http://www.cmp.com/