Zap2it.com Launches Film Critics Poll

Zap2it.com Launches Film Critics Poll

National Society of Film Critics Scores New Movies, DVDs

CHICAGO, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Moviegoers and DVD-buyers looking for a consensus of opinion from the nation's leading film critics can now find a useful new online scorecard at Zap2it.com.

A top Internet destination for information about movies and TV, Zap2it ( http://www.zap2it.com/ ) is the online home for the new National Society of Film Critics' Poll. Developed by the NSFC and Tribune Media Services (TMS), the poll provides scores on a scale of 1-to-100 from the country's top movie critics for the latest theatrical and DVD releases.

Visitors to the NSFC poll site ( http://www.nsfc.zap2it.com/ ) can see an average of critic scores for each movie, as well as each critic's individual score. The site also includes a recap of scores assigned to all recent movies by each reviewer, as well as a link to each movie critic's web site. Links are also provided to local theater schedules for each film.

NSFC poll results will be available online exclusively on Zap2it.com through this winter's movie awards season. TMS is also offering a column based on the NSFC poll to newspapers, and will syndicate NSFC data to other web sites and interactive services in 2006.

The National Society of Film Critics is comprised of 55 of the nation's most respected reviewers -- with contributors from organizations such as Time, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Boston Phoenix, L.A. Weekly, Salon.com and many leading local daily newspapers. Each week, the critics relay to TMS a numerical score for each new theatrical and DVD release they review. Movies range from major Hollywood releases to small independent films.

"No organization of reviewers boasts more collective expertise than the National Society of Film Critics, where every member is an authority on -- and lover of -- the rich past and rollercoaster present of movies from around the world," said David Sterritt, the longtime Christian Science Monitor critic who chairs the NSFC. "The weekly NSFC poll offers one-stop shopping for reliable opinions and value judgments you can trust."

"What the NSFC poll offers that the other websites don't are the actual grades and rankings of the critics, as if we were handing out our own best film or best DVD prizes every week," said Michael Wilmington, the Chicago Tribune critic who organized the poll and edits it for the NSFC. "And it's chockfull of other movie information as well."

About the NSFC

The National Society of Film Critics counts among its members many of the country's leading film critics. Its purpose is to promote the mutual interests of film criticism and filmmaking.

Founded in 1966, the Society is national in scope, with members drawn from leading daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and online opinion journals. Membership is by election.

Besides responding to specific issues such as colorization, film preservation, or the ratings system, the Society regularly meets early in January to vote on the Society's awards for the finest film achievements of the year.

About Zap2it and Tribune Media Services Entertainment Products

Zap2it.com is a national web site providing entertainment news and listings data, and is a primary source of local TV schedules and local movie show times on the Internet. It is produced by Tribune Media Services, a division of Tribune Company (NYSE:TRB). In addition to the flagship site at http://www.zap2it.com/ , the Zap2it network includes more than 400 affiliated sites that co-brand Zap2it content.

TMS' entertainment products unit is a leading provider of print, online and on-screen entertainment listings and editorial information to newspapers and online media, cable and satellite operators, and consumer electronics companies. TMS' advertising networks provide opportunities to reach nearly 70 million people, through Zap2it.com and major market newspaper TV supplements.

For more information about TMS, visit ( http://www.tribunemediaentertainment.com/ ).

CONTACT:
Steve Tippie
Media Relations
Tribune Media Services
(312) 222-4455
stippie@tribune.com

Source: Tribune Media Services

CONTACT: Steve Tippie, Media Relations of Tribune Media Services,
+1-312-222-4455, or stippie@tribune.com

Web site: http://www.zap2it.com/
http://www.nsfc.zap2it.com/
http://www.tribunemediaentertainment.com/

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