Click this link to view company snapshots Print This Story  Email This Story  Save this Link View PR Newswire's RSS Feed  Blogs Discussing this News Release  Search Blogs that Mention this News Release  Click this link to view linked Bookmarking Services Click this link to view linked Blogging Services


Cox Interactive Media Reintroduces Web Site That Takes Net By Storm

             Set Coordinates to http://www.storm97.com for a New Wave
       Of Interactive Protection from Hurricanes and Tropical Storms

    ATLANTA, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Interactive Media (CIM) has
re-launched its Hurricane Central site at http://www.storm97.com with a surge of
information people can access at the click of a mouse to protect themselves
from violent hurricanes and tropical storms.
    In its third year of operation, the redesigned, free site will cover every
Atlantic and Caribbean tropical storm and hurricane with frequently updated
maps, photos, stories and satellite and radar images.  However, officials
managing the site in CIM's West Palm Beach, Florida studios encourage site
visitors to access storm97.com regularly to prepare for the tropical season
well in advance of any storm.
    According to Dan Shorter, site manager, "CIM is developing more than
20 city and specialty niche sites this year."  He continued, "Among these
sites, storm97.com has the greatest public service value to residents along
the Eastern United States and Gulf Coast waters, our neighbors in Central
America and the Caribbean, as well as concerned family members and friends
located in other parts of the world."
    The site is updated at least daily when there are no tropical storms or
hurricanes and every few hours when storm activity exists.  Within its first
week of being re-launched, storm97.com received an admirable review in the
June 2nd edition of Yahoo Interactive Life magazine and was selected as a Cool
Site of the Day by Yahoo, Project Cool and HotSheet.
    In regards to the site's actual layout, storm97.com provides standard
preparation measures, such as a colorful base tracker map with the latest
coordinates of a storm, as well as printable shopping lists and exhaustive
preparedness guide with articles on how to protect the family, boats, pets and
property.  The site is also updated every day with advice on how to survive a
hurricane, retrospectives on the nation's most destructive storms and the
latest innovations in tracking and safety.
    CIM did not stop there with its new design, though.  The site has a swell
of interactive activity unique to the meteorology reporting industry, but not
to the Internet.
    Frequently updated National Weather Service advisories are sent from
storm97.com personnel via free e-mails to anyone desiring to be alerted.
There are also photo galleries and more than 20 different satellite and radar
images detailing views of cloud cover and movement, rain and thunderstorms
that can be viewed immediately during the cycle of a hurricane or tropical
storm.  Up-to-the-minute AP wire stories are posted on the site.  Print, video
and audio reports in English and Spanish are also included from more than
20 Gulf Coast and Eastern seaboard-based newspapers, radio and television
stations and cable operators owned by Cox Enterprises.  Eyewitness reports and
videos from storm survivors will also be included.
    In storm97.com's "Let's Talk" section, site visitors can enter a chat room
or discussion board for regularly scheduled on-line conversations with
meteorologists and hurricane experts like Dr. Robert Sheets, former National
Hurricane Center Director.  The "About Hurricanes" corner of the site features
shockwave technology that brings to life the mechanics of hurricanes and tidal
surges, and a Brainstorm trivia quiz never plays the same way twice to sharpen
one's awareness of severe storms.
    Furthering the site's educational value are a handy glossary of
meteorology terms relating to hurricanes and tropical storms as well as a
"Canes for Kids" page to assist teachers and youngsters in the classroom.
    The site also links visitors to "Lightning Stalker," a sister site that
salutes 20 years of lightning photography by David 0. Stillings.  This site is
regularly updated with Stillings' latest images and e-mails relating to his
adventures of chasing the most violent of storms in Florida.
    Access storm97.com today to learn first-hand how the site will provide the
latitude and longitude -- in weathering out any violent storm.
    Cox Interactive Media (http://www.cimedia.com), a newly formed subsidiary of Cox
Enterprises, created local city sites, like AccessAtlanta
(http://www.accessatlanta.com) and Austin360 (http://www.austin360.com), and specialty sites
like Fastball (http://www.fastball.com) and Y'all (http://www.yall.com), through the
interactive studios it has established across the country.  The Studios will
meet the growing needs of the Internet community by providing accurate, local,
informative and current information on each city and topic, via the World Wide
Web.
    A leading media company, Cox Enterprises, Inc. (http://www.cox.com) includes Cox
Newspapers, Inc. (newspapers, direct mail marketing, book publishing); Cox
Broadcasting, Inc. (TV, spot sales, movie/television production, research,
publicly traded Cox Radio, Inc. (NYSE: CXR)) and publicly traded Cox
Communications, Inc. (NYSE: COX) (cable distribution, programming, broadband
communications) in addition to Cox Interactive Media.  The company is the
world's largest operator of automobile auctions through Manheim Auctions,
providing financial services, government auctions, on-line services and price
guides.


SOURCE Cox Interactive Media




Back to Topback to top

CONTACT:
Marleen Burford, Cox Interactive Media,
404-572-1830 or marleen.burford@cimedia.com; or Lisa Ballard,
Ballard and Associates, 404-255-6238 or ballard@bellsouth.net