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F2, FAIRFAX INTERACTIVE NETWORK, LAUNCHES REGIONAL PORTAL FOR MELBOURNE: www.melbournetoday.com.au melbournetoday.com.au
offers free email, task lists, breaking news, and a host of other
features Melbourne, Monday September 27, 1999: F2, the Fairfax Interactive Network, today launched a regional portal site built especially for Melbourne. It offers a host of features relevant to both first-time and experienced Melbourne web users, ranging from events calendars and public transport information, to bill paying facilities and weather updates, as well as typical portal services such as free email, task lists and directory/search functions. "Today's launch by F2 of an Internet portal for Melbourne is a major development that provides our interactive businesses with a significant new dimension of activity and functionality. This builds greater critical mass and leadership positioning for F2, and provides a platform for further expansion," said Fred Hilmer, CEO of John Fairfax Holdings Limited. According to Nigel Dews, CEO of the recently announced F2, "melbournetoday.com.au is one of the first regional portals built in Australia which encompasses such a broad range of information and features. "As the information explosion continues around the world, targeted portals such as melbournetoday.com.au further advance the usefulness of the Internet by making it easier and quicker for people to find information that is relevant to them "F2 has a network of over 20 leading web sites such as theage.com.au, drive.com.au, citysearch.com.au, mycareer.com.au, tradingroom.com.au and SOLD.com.au, which all offer extensive content and services. We are also working with best-of-breed providers such as LookSmart (web directory); Excite (search engine); CommTouch (email); Ericsson (audio chat); Collins (online book store); Bureau of Meteorology (weather); Wishlist (online gift store); WebBoard and eShare (online forums and chat); and Optus (ISP). "melbournetoday.com.au brings all of this together in a user-friendly home page and provides a gateway to the rest of the world from Melbourne," added Mr Dews. The new melbournetoday.com.au portal makes it easy to find and do things on the Internet, both locally and globally. For example, if you want to watch a movie at the cinemas, you could find out where and when it is playing, look up a map or the public transport options to get there, find a restaurant nearby, read or watch a preview of the movie, chat online with some friends who are meeting you there, visit the official web site or search for international news and reviews. You can simply click a button to make melbournetoday.com.au your home page so a personalised version of the site launches every time you open your browser. This allows you to start the day with local news and weather, read your daily horoscope, check your email and task list, and look up all the information you need to get through the day. You can also pay your bills, find a car, home or restaurant in Melbourne, and find out how to get there. Or you can search the World Wide Web or use the directory services to gather information before you leave home. One of the great strengths of melbournetoday.com.au is The Age brand and the credibility it brings as Victoria's pre-eminent source of news and information. According to Steve Harris, Publisher of The Age, "melbournetoday.com.au is an important part of redefining our relationship with the local community. The online forums, events calendar, public transport information and other community services are updated continuously and help to bring us even closer the people of Melbourne." Summary of melbournetoday.com.au key features
F2 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of John Fairfax Holdings Limited [ASX:FXJ] which contains the company’s online and interactive businesses.
Note to editors John Fairfax Holdings Limited [ASX:FXJ] is Australia’s leading publishing group. Its mastheads include The Sydney Morning Herald, The Australian Financial Review, The Age, The Sun Herald, and BRW. In addition, the company publishes financial and consumer magazines, and provides online services. In 1999, the company had revenues of over $1.1 billion. Fairfax is Australia’s leading content provider on the Internet with around 1.4 million page views per day across a network of sites. Fairfax corporate and financial announcements are posted on our Web site: www.fairfax.com.au/fairfax_corporate. F2, the Fairfax Interactive Network, includes Australia’s leading news and business sites (smh.com.au, theage.com.au, afr.com.au and brw.com.au); investment sites (tradingroom.com.au, moneymanager.com.au, shares.com.au and personalinvestment.com.au); automotive supersite (drive.com.au); Melbourne portal (melbournetoday.com.au); Australia’s leading classifieds (market.fairfax.com.au); major employment sites (mycareer.com.au and itjobs.fairfax.com.au); Australia’s leading online auction site (SOLD.com.au); sports sites (rugbyheaven.com.au, footy99.com.au, cricket.fairfax.com.au and smh.com.au/league); property site (apn.brw.com.au); travel site (walkabout.com.au); city guides for Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra (citysearch.com.au); and Big Colour Pages, the only complete national Internet and print business directory. For further information, please contact: Lindy Yarnold Elisa Klosterman F2 Hill and Knowlton lyarnold@mail.fairfax.com.au ekloster@hillandknowlton.com.au Tel: (02) 9282 3119 Tel: (02) 9966 1255
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Fairfax > Corporate Affairs & Media Releases > Announcements > MELBOURNE TODAY LAUNCH
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