MediaBay Partners with Media Legend Larry King to Launch Larry King Audio, A Premier Online Audiobook Download Service
MediaBay Partners with Media Legend Larry King to Launch Larry King Audio, A Premier Online Audiobook Download Service
New online audiobook subscription service will be MediaBay's first private label affinity site powered by its digital library of premium audio content that includes thousands of best selling audiobooks and classic radio shows
CEDAR KNOLLS, N.J., June 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MediaBay, Inc. (NASDAQ:MBAY), a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment, announced today that it will launch this month Larry King Audio (http://www.larrykingaudio.com/), a premier online audiobook store that will offer customers digital downloads of audiobooks on an individual or subscription basis. The site will be hosted by Emmy Award winning media personality Larry King.
As part of MediaBay's digital distribution strategy to power branded online entertainment services for affinity partners, Larry King Audio will build its subscriber base from King's loyal following as well as tap into MediaBay's 80,000 active audiobook buyers and the 2.5 million prior members of MediaBay's Audio Book Club. The site will be branded with the distinct voice of Larry King and offer a large library of audiobooks and classic radio shows that can be downloaded via one off sales or as part of a subscription service. In a later release this summer, Larry King Audio will also offer thousands of titles on tape or CD with convenient drop shipping to customers. These two format options vastly increase the consumer's option for selecting and purchasing audio entertainment. Each week, Larry King will discuss his top audiobook picks and offer his perspective on new titles that are published.
Launching with the official licensed version of the infamous 1938 Mercury Theater Sunday evening radio broadcast by Orson Welles, War of the Worlds, Larry King Audio will offer a limited collector's edition, available as a 2-disc CD or audio download that includes: the original radio show, an exclusive interview with the last surviving cast member from the broadcast, a discussion between Orson Welles and H.G. Wells about the broadcast and aftermath, a recording of the press conference the morning after the broadcast aired, as well as a series of trivia tidbits from renowned radio historian Bill Nadel.
The thousands of audiobook titles and other classic radio shows available for download via PC, can be burned to a CD for listening in a car or transferred to nearly one hundred different portable media players that support WMA audio files from such manufacturers as Creative, Rio, i-River, Dell, HP and all of the Microsoft "Playsforsure"(TM) device partners. It also includes smart phones that support the mobile windows media platform. The service will provide its members with reviews and instructions on how to choose and use portable media players and demonstrate just how easy it is to transfer and listen to audiobooks on CD's or on these portable devices.
By leveraging MediaBay's partnerships with the industry's leading publishing houses such as the BBC, Blackstone, Harper Collins, Penquin USA, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Time Warner, MediaBay expects to continuously offer the latest best-sellers and critically acclaimed books that resonate with Larry King enthusiasts interested in his broad range of literary expertise.
"We are thrilled and honored to have Larry King as our first affinity partner, providing him with a platform to interact with his fans on a literary level, share his passion for audiobooks and extend his entertainment brand through a new distribution channel," said Jeff Dittus, CEO of MediaBay. "We're confident that Larry King Audio will be a leading online brand for audiobooks and become a successful business model to drive book sales for our publishing partners as the demand for our downloadable audiobooks and classic radio content grows."
About MediaBay Inc.
MediaBay Inc. (NASDAQ:MBAY) is a leading digital media and publishing company specializing in spoken word and premium audio entertainment. The company maintains a library consisting of over 75,000 hours of content, including audio books from best-selling authors and the history of American Radio. Some of MediaBay's digital content partners include BBC, Blackstone, CBS Radio, Harper Collins, Hay House, Oasis, Penguin Audio, Random House, Simon & Schuster, Sound Room, Zondervan. In addition to its popular Audio Book Club, MediaBay distributes its content through proprietary web sites including audiobookclub.com and radiospirits.com as well as through partner channels including LarryKingAudio.com, Loudeye, MSN Music, Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio. For more information on MediaBay, please visit http://www.mediabay.com/
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Elana Altshuler Tim Clemensen
mPRm Public Relations Rubenstein Investor Relations
323-933-3399 212-843-9337
ealtshuler@mprm.comtclemensen@rubensteinir.com
FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this release, including, without limitation, statements regarding MediaBay's future financial position, business strategy, budgets, projected costs and plans and objectives of management for future operations are forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward- looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "believe," or "continue" or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in or contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation MediaBay's ability to implement its new strategy and transition its business and the risks related thereto: its history of losses and declining revenue; its ability to license and sell new spoken word content, anticipate and respond to changing customer preferences, license and produce desirable content, protect its databases and other intellectual property from unauthorized access, and collect receivables; dependence on third-party providers, suppliers and distribution channels; competition; the costs and success of its marketing strategies; product returns; member attrition; and risks relating to its capital structure. Undue reference should not be placed on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. MediaBay undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Source: MediaBay, Inc.
CONTACT: Elana Altshuler, mPRm Public Relations, +1-323-933-3399,
ealtshuler@mprm.com, or Tim Clemensen, Rubenstein Investor Relations,
+1-212-843-9337, tclemensen@rubensteinir.com
Web site: http://www.mediabay.com/
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