Gemstar-TV Guide Names Mark Bautz Editor-in-Chief, TV Guide Online
Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMST), a leading media, entertainment and technology company, announced today that it has named Mark Bautz to the newly-created position of editor-in-chief, TV Guide Online. In this role, Mr. Bautz will oversee all editorial and broadband video content for TV Guide Online, including its flagship Web site, www.TVGuide.com. He will also work in close collaboration with Ian Birch, Gemstar-TV Guide’s chief content officer and editor-in-chief of TV Guide Magazine. He is based in New York, and reports to Paul Greenberg, general manager, TV Guide Online.
Mr. Bautz joins TV Guide today after previously serving in senior editorial positions at Time Inc’s People.com and EW.com. He most recently was editor-in-chief at People.com, where he developed and implemented the editorial strategy for the Web site and oversaw all of its daily original content.
In addition to his editorial oversight of www.TVGuide.com, Mr. Bautz will also direct the content efforts at recently-acquired TV Guide Web sites including www.JumptheShark.com, www.TVShowsOnDVD.com, www.FansofRealityTV.com, and www.TV-now.com.
“Mark has an impressive editorial background with specific experience in writing and editing for leading entertainment Web sites,” said Mr. Greenberg. “He also has a proven track record working collaboratively; across platforms and divisions, and with leading Web partners. At TV Guide Online, he will be an important contributor as we continue to expand on the strength of our content and brand to become the leading online destination for television and entertainment content.”
Mr. Bautz said, “I’m very excited to be joining TV Guide at this particular time. The company has incredibly strong content assets and has proven recently that they’re committed to extending the reach of those assets across the company’s existing platforms and to emerging platforms as well.”
Mr. Bautz joined Time Inc. in 1992 as a staff writer for Money magazine. In 1997, he moved to Entertainment Weekly magazine where he served as executive editor for EW.com, the magazine’s fast-paced daily Web site. During his time at EW, he managed the site’s writers and editors while overseeing two comprehensive site designs and new product launches.
He became editor-in-chief of People.com in 2003. During his time as the top editorial executive at this leading Web site, Mr. Bautz led the team that broke more than 100 national celebrity news exclusives, increasing monthly unique users by more than 700 percent. In 2006, People.com was awarded the Media Industry Newsletter (MIN) “Best of the Web Award” for editorial excellence.
Mr. Bautz holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Los Angeles, CA. He has served previously as a teaching fellow at Syracuse University and a writing fellow at Washington University in St. Louis, MO.
About Gemstar-TV Guide
Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. (the “Company”) (NASDAQ: GMST) is a leading global media, entertainment, and technology company that develops, licenses, markets and distributes products and services that maximize the video guidance and entertainment experience for consumers. The Company’s businesses include: television, publishing, and new media properties; interactive program guide services and products; and intellectual property licensing. Additional information about the Company can be found at www.gemstartvguide.com.
This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance or results and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including risks and uncertainties related to the timely availability and market acceptance of products and services incorporating the Company’s technologies and content; our investments in new and existing businesses; the impact of competitive products and services; and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company’s SEC reports, including the most recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, each as it may be amended from time to time. The Company assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
Note to Editors: Gemstar and TV Guide are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gemstar-TV Guide International, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. The names of other companies, products and services used herein are for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.