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Fitness Journal highlighted by CNET news fitnessjournal.org | Fitness Journal highlighted by CNET news fitnessjournal.com |
CNET Networks, Inc. was a media company based in San Francisco, California, United States. The company was co-founded in 1993 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie. It was acquired by CBS Corporation in 2008 and its properties were merged into CBS Interactive. CNET was also originally an acronym that originally stood for Computer Networks, but the name was later changed to CNET Networks, and CNET was no longer an acronym.
[edit] History
In 1994, with the help from Fox co-founder Kevin Wendle and former Disney creative associate Dan Baker,[1] CNET produced four pilot television programs about computers, technology, and the Internet. CNET TV was composed of CNET Central, The Web, and The New Edge.[2][3]CNET Central was created first and aired in syndication in the United States on the USA Network. Later, it began airing on USA's sister network Sci Fi Channel along with The Web and The New Edge.[2] These were later followed by TV.com in 1996. Current American Idol host Ryan Seacrest first came to national prominence at CNET, as the host of The New Edge and doing various voice-over work for CNET.[4] In addition, CNET produced another television technology news program called News.com that aired on CNBC beginning in 1999.[1] CNET acquired the Swiss-based company GDT in 1997. GDT was later renamed to CNET Channel.[1] In 1998, CNET granted the right to Asiacontent to set up CNET Asia and the operation was brought back in December 2000.[5][6] In January 2000, the same time CNET became CNET Networks, they acquired comparison shopping site mySimon for $700 million.[7] In October 2000, CNET Networks acquired ZDNet for approximately $1.6 billion.[8][9] In January 2001, Ziff Davis Media, Inc. reached an agreement with CNET Networks, Inc. to regain the URLs lost in the 2000 sale of Ziff Davis, Inc. to SoftBank Corp. a publicly traded Japanese media and technology company.[10] In April 2001, CNET acquired TechRepublic Inc., which provides content for IT professionals from Gartner, Inc., for $23 million in cash and stock.[11] On July 14, 2004, CNET announced that it would acquire Webshots, the leading photography website for $70 million ($60 million in cash, $10 million in deferred consideration).[12] From 2001 to 2003, CNET operated CNET Radio on the Clear Channel-owned KNEW 910 AM in the San Francisco Bay Area, WBPS 890 AM in Boston and on XM Satellite Radio. CNET Radio offered technology-themed programming. After failing to attract a sufficient audience, CNET Radio ceased operating in January 2003 due to financial losses.[13] On October 11, 2006, Shelby Bonnie resigned as chairman and CEO as a result of stock options backdating scandal that occurred between 1996 and 2003. Neil Ashe was named as the new CEO.[14] In December 2006, James Kim, an editor at CNET, died in the Oregon wilderness. CNET hosted a memorial show and podcasts dedicated to him. On March 1, 2007, CNET announced the public launch of BNET, a website targeted towards business managers. BNET was launched in 2005 in beta form.[15] [edit] Acquisition by CBSOn May 15, 2008, it was announced that CBS Corporation would buy CNET Networks for US$1.8 billion.[16][17][18] On June 30, 2008, the acquisition was completed.[19] Former CNET properties are now part of CBS Interactive. [edit] Websites[edit] CNET.com CNET.com is CNET's online portal, providing access to CNET's reviews, news, downloads, price comparisons and CNET TV as well as web search powered by search.com. CNET.com is divided into seven major sections, all of which can be accessed from the home or "Today on CNET" page. These sections are: [edit] ReviewsProduct and service reviews by CNET. This section can also include extras such as Internet connection speed tests, opinion articles and buying guides. [edit] CNET NewsCNET News (formerly known as News.com) is a news website dedicated to technology. Content is created by both CNET and external media agencies. A daily podcast is available which covers main stories. Some of CNET's blogs also fall under this portion of the website, including Webware (Web 2.0 topics) and Crave (gadgets). [edit] Tips & TricksTips & Tricks is the learning area of CNET, offering a range of tutorials, guides and tips for technology users. [edit] CNET TVMain article: CNET TV CNET TV is CNET's Internet video channel offering a selection of on-demand video content including video reviews, first looks and special features. [edit] CNET Shopper.comCNET Shopper.com is an online tool that aims to find the lowest prices on items from online retailers. While generally reliable, there have been notable errors in pricing information on occasion including a camera worth over a thousand dollars being advertised for only a few dollars. [edit] BlogsAlso available at blogs.cnet.com, this is a round up of all the blogs from CNET personalities and official blogs for CNET and CNET programs. In addition to CNET.com, which is aimed at North American audiences, there are also regional CNET sites including cnet.com.au (for Australia), cnet.co.uk (for the United Kingdom) and asia.cnet.com (for Asia). Content on regional sites is a mix of mostly locally produced content from regional offices of CNET, with certain content - mostly news - from the US CNET.com site. In addition, content is sometimes sourced from ZDNet. [edit] Download.comMain article: Download.com Download.com is a website that provides Windows, Macintosh and mobile software for download. CNET maintains that this software is free of spyware. The site also offers free MP3 music files for download (mostly by independent artists), however recently, the music section of the site is now merged with last.fm. This meant that all the music downloads were deleted without warning.[20] [edit] CNET TVMain article: CNET TV CNET TV plays various videos, including CNET video reviews. CNET editors such as Tom Merritt, Molly Wood, Brian Cooley and Brian Tong host shows like Car Tech, Buzz Report, Quick Tips, CNET Top 5, Loaded, The Apple Byte, Digital City, The Digital Home, Inside CNET Live, Mail Bag, video prizefights, and others, as well as special reports and reviews. On April 12, 2007, CNET TV aired its first episode of CNET LIVE, hosted by Brian Cooley and Tom Merritt. The first episode featured Justin Kan of justin.tv.[21][22] [edit] CNET UK In 2005, CNET launched CNET.co.uk.[23] This UK arm of CNET Networks covers similar areas to CNET.com, but specifically for UK consumers. As of January 2008, an independent audit certified CNET.co.uk was the largest consumer electronics website in the UK, with 2.5 million unique visitors [24].The site is mainly focused on reviews, news, a gadget blog ('Crave', a name which CNET.com eventually adopted for their own blog) and editorial content from a team of editors, covering consumer electronics and car tech. CNET.co.uk is managed and overseen by site editor Jason Jenkins (formerly of T3 Magazine). The CNET.co.uk editorial team consists of Jason Jenkins (Editor), Nike Hide (Chief sub-editor), Charles Kloet (Sub-Editor), Rory Reid (Editor, Cars and Computing), Ian Morris (Editor, Home Cinema and Community), Nate Lanxon (Senior Editor, News and Features), Flora Graham (Reviewer, Mobile Phones) and Richard Trenholm (Editor, News and Features). CNET.co.uk also has a weekly podcast called the 'CNET UK Podcast'. CNET Networks UK also comprises a number of other online-only publications, including GameSpot.co.uk, Silicon.com, ZDNet.co.uk and SmartPlanet.com, each of which produce both editorial and audio-video productions, including GameSpot's video show 'Start/Select', and ZDNet's popular 'Dialogue Box' show. Collectively, the publications of CNET Networks UK generate 132 million monthly page views from 9.8 million unique visitors[25]. On November 19, 2007, CNET UK launched the UK version of CNET TV. Although the site's design is very different in design to CNET.com's version, it differs by using true 16:9-resolution video, streaming in Adobe Flash at high bit rates. CNET TV UK produces all original content, most notably a weekly music show, Encoded, hosted by Nate Lanxon; and Reel Weekend, a weekly film digest hosted by Ben Howard. The site also features a car tech show, product video reviews, music videos and most of the video content produced by CNET Networks UK's various consumer and business sites. Alongside music show Encoded, CNET TV UK hosts live sessions with popular artists—in the past including The Broken Family Band and Lightspeed Champion -- under the name CNET TV:Live. [edit] BNETMain article: BNET BNET, a portal designed similarly to CNET, was created for the businessman or woman, specifically those in the management field. It provides tools and information in an organized format, while also providing professional insight on emerging news and strategies affecting a range of industries, many not specifically related to the technology industry. [edit] Other websitesOther CNET websites include GameSpot, GameFAQs, Metacritic, MP3.com, TV.com, and Movie Tome, which operate under the "CNET Networks Entertainment" brand name; Chow, Chowhound, UrbanBaby and Consumating, which operate under the "CNET Networks Community" brand; Webware, a blog launched in November 2006 dedicated to web applications.[26] In July 2004, CNET Networks acquired Webshots, an online photo sharing site for $70 million[27]. However, in October 2007, they sold Webshots to American Greetings for $45 million[28] CNET owns many domain names, including download.com, upload.com, news.com, search.com, tv.com, mp3.com, chat.com, computers.com, help.com, shopper.com, radio.com, and com.com. In 1998, CNET was sued by Snap Technologies for its use of the snap.com website.[29] [edit] PodcastsThe network produces several audio and video podcasts. They are related to the core areas of technology: General news, DAPs, Cars, Security, and the ongoing wars between the politicos and the industry. The network has several different brandings on their podcasts. CNET.com, the Network's most viewed site, has more than eight to date.[30] The other sites in the CNET Network that have podcasts are GameSpot, TV.com, MP3.com and CNET.co.uk. A lot of CNET podcasts are streamed live at http://www.watchbol.com
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