Al Sikes Joins Board of Directors at Gather.com.

Former Head of Hearst Interactive and Former FCC Chairman Joins Board at Leading Social Media Site for Adults

BOSTON -- Gather.com, the leader in social media for adults, today announced that Al Sikes has joined the company's board of directors. Mr. Sikes is the former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the former head of Hearst Interactive Media, unit of The Hearst Corporation. Mr. Sikes joins several media, business, and political superstars already serving on the Gather.com board of directors, including former Senator Bill Bradley, advertising magnate Jack Connors, former Lotus Chairman Jim Manzi, and President and CEO of American Public Media Group (APMG) Bill Kling.

"The power of social media is changing the way companies interact with their customers," said Sikes. "Gather.com has demonstrated its viable business model and I look forward to being part of the company's continued success."

Mr. Sikes has led a distinguished career in the technology and broadcast industries as well as serving in several key public offices. During his time as head of Hearst Interactive Media, Sikes set up the company's first digital production center, formed Hearst's first venture capital investment program, and founded one of the first vertical portals, which was then merged into Women.Com, and later, iVillage. Mr. Sikes is also the founder of the Reading Excellence and Discovery Foundation (READ).

"We welcome the opportunity to draw upon Al Sikes' distinguished experience in the broadcast industry and as a top-level federal and state government official," said Tom Gerace, Founder & CEO, Gather.com. "We are confident that he will significantly contribute to the next phase of growth and success."

About Gather.com

Gather.com (www.gather.com) is the leader in social media for adults. Gather.com members connect around shared interests ranging from politics to books and from cooking to travel, and they're compensated for their activity on the site. Members can engage in conversation with state and local politicians, health and financial experts, personal coaches, bestselling authors, and more. Over one million people visit Gather.com each month to read content created by Gather.com members. Gather.com has a highly educated, highly informed adult audience membership -- a demographic elusive to most social networking sites. This demographic has made Gather.com an exceptional partner to media companies, advertising agencies, leading consumer brands, book publishers, and movie studios. Gather.com is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Investors include Allen & Company, The American Public Media Group, Hearst, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Southern California Public Radio. For more information, visit www.gather.com or call [phone], x1032.