The Internet will be more important to the US population than the telephone or the television. That’s the vision of Jim Riesenbach, VP of programming and marketing for local-oriented Web channel Digital City.
The Internet will be more important to the US population than the
telephone or the television. That’s the vision of Jim Riesenbach, VP of
programming and marketing for local-oriented Web channel Digital
City.
And Riesenbach should know. Digital City is just one of many successful
brands of Web pioneer American Online, which is run by the visionary
Steve Case. Riesenbach plans to continue in his boss’s footsteps,
expanding the profitable operations of this interactive city guide.
For the millions of people who don’t know what to do on the weekend, Web
guides such as Digital City (or rivals such as City Search-Ticketmaster
and MSN’s Sidewalk.com) have become invaluable. For instance, Digital
City offers users the opportunity to meet a new date through its local
personal column, choose a restaurant from its dining section and even
find a new job. But keeping the 60 city guides up to date is a
challenge. Riesenbach says PR pros should make contact with their local
events editor to keep the staff aware of the latest news.
Digital City has a number of main regional editorial centers that
co-ordinate content for many of the other areas. Riesenbach oversees
three managing editors: Arne Jokela, New York; Mark Gozonsky, Los
Angeles; and Rick Robinson, Washington, DC. The other main ’hubs’ of
activity include Atlanta, Dallas, Philadelphia and San Francisco.
The senior staff members oversee an editorial team of around ten to 15
people, and commission a growing range of freelancers who scout out hot
new venues in each city. ’They are our eyes and ears,’ says
Riesenbach.
’They keep us abreast of what’s closing and opening.’ Riesenbach won’t
reveal the identity of the freelancers but says they are experts in
their fields. In line with the democratic nature of the Internet,
visitors are also encouraged to post their own comments on various
events.
Digital City’s young, affluent audience is exactly the kind of people
that PR pros want to attract to their venues. According to the site,
over 78% of its visitors have an average income in excess of dollars
50,000, while 78% are between 18 and 49 years old.
Digital City, which is busiest on Thursdays and Fridays, claims traffic
averages at around six million visitors per month. The latest rankings
from Web ratings firm Media Metrix puts it at 4.4 million for
September.
While some of AOL’s content channels, such as AOL News Channel and AOL
Computer Channel, can be accessed only through the service provider,
Digital City is freely available to anyone with Web access.
PR pros will be pleased to know that the entertainment section, which
carries reviews of hot bars and restaurants, is the most popular on the
site. Through alliances with other content suppliers AOL also updates
local news and sports. Another part of the site offers practical
services such as car rental, job listings and mortgage offers.
Digital City first launched in Washington, DC in 1995 and within three
years became the first local content provider to supply information on
the top 50 US markets. There are 60 now and the aim is to serve around
200 cities by spring 2000.
Site visitors are directed to editors’ picks of the best restaurants and
museum exhibits. Riesenbach says that the aim of the section is not to
identify the worst but rather to highlight the best. Visitors are also
encouraged to post their own experiences. ’Our members provide input and
we don’t censor that, unless someone is particularly abusive,’ he
says.
In addition to the original material, which rarely runs beyond a
150-word review, Digital City has partnerships with the likes of Knight
Ridder and the San Francisco Examiner, which supply locally oriented
material.
(The company has similar partnerships with other local newspapers; PR
pros who pitch to these papers may have their stories appear on Digital
City.) Many of the restaurant reviews are by French publishing company
Gayot. Riesenbach says the business model has proved highly profitable,
with the free service supported entirely by advertising and business
partnerships.
Riesenbach, who joined Digital City in 1996 and oversaw the programming
and sales of the Philadelphia site that year, wants to keep a balance
between the breadth and width of the content, offering the right amount
of information on the right number of venues.
He says that in the next 12 months the site will become significantly
enriched. Digital City will eventually be compiling high school sports
scores for regional areas. E-commerce will also be developed, along with
the addition of apartment listings and directories of doctors, lawyers
and landscapers. AOL-sponsored Moviefone is planning to sell movie
tickets through Digital City within the next three to four months. In
July, the company announced it had linked up with iOwn.com, Web-based
mortgage company, while Mapquest signed a deal in June to use Digital
City information on its site.
But just as many new Internet sites are threatening to turn the Web into
little more than an electronic strip mall, AOL’s Digital City also takes
its civic responsibilities seriously.
Volunteer groups looking for help are listed, as are helpful gridlock
warnings for commuters. Under the news and issues section, there is
space to vent on local issues. During one debate, a member of the Nation
of Islam in Harlem found himself exchanging views with a white police
officer from the Westchester suburbs. Riesenbach also says he knows of a
couple who got engaged after meeting through the personals on Digital
City.
But does it make coffee?
CONTACT LIST
AOL Digital City Events editors
New York/Detroit: Fred Meyer
32 W. 22nd St., 5th Floor
New York, NY 10010
nycevents@digitalcity.com
detroitevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (212) 206 5033
Fax: (212) 620 7433
Washington, DC:
Marian Rosaaen
8615 Westwood Center Dr.
Vienna, VA 22182
dcevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (703) 265 0397
Fax: (703) 265 1630
Los Angeles/Atlanta:
Justin Chan
351 Fourth Street, Suite 200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
losangelesevents@digitalcity.com
atlantaevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (310) 979 5620
Fax: (310) 979 5658
Boston: Ayshe Yildiz
25 First St. Cambridge, MA 02141
bostonevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (617) 679 5782
Fax: (617) 494 8340
San Francisco: David Allan
333 Bush St., 22nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94104
sfevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (415) 844 9203
Fax: (415) 358 4455
Dallas: Rick Dixon
3131 McKinney Ave., Suite 350
Dallas, TX 75204
dfwevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (214) 954 6204
Fax: (214) 954 6202
Philadelphia: Margit Detweiler
20 N. 3rd St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
phillyevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (215) 418 5420
Fax: (215) 829 0298
Denver: Tracy Weil
1860 Blake St., no. 210
Denver, CO 80202
denverevents@digitalcity.com
Tel: (303) 298 5804
Fax: (303) 292 4139
Web: www.digitalcity.com.
