America Online Launches 'AOL Black Focus,' a New Programming Area Offering News, Information and Features to Serve the Needs and Interests of the African American Community.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 28, 2003 Research Shows that 85% of Online African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. Have a Strong Preference for News and Information from the African American Perspective(1) 43% of Online African Americans Access the Internet Through A Broadband Connection See broadband and wireless broadband. Compared to 36% of the General Online Population(1) America Online See AOL. , Inc., the world's leading interactive services company, today launched "AOL (A division of Time Warner, Inc., New York, NY, www.aol.com) The world's largest online information service with access to the Internet, e-mail, chat rooms and a variety of databases and services. Black Focus," a comprehensive new area on the AOL service that combines content and information from an African American perspective with an engaging online community. AOL has created this new area to serve the needs and interests of African Americans, an audience which according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the latest industry reports has grown to more than 10 million surfers
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Prior to launching AOL Black Focus, America Online commissioned a national survey through Digital Marketing Services, Inc. (DMS (1) (Document Management System) See document management. (2) (Defense Messaging System) An X.500-compliant messaging system developed by the U.S. Dept. of Defense. ), a leading provider of online research, to analyze online trends, behavior and preferences among online African Americans and the general online population. The survey revealed that while African Americans may share many of the same online interests as the general online population, they have developed their own unique online identity. For example, online African Americans are taking the lead in adapting some of the newer online technologies and features, such as broadband broadband Term describing the radiation from a source that produces a broad, continuous spectrum of frequencies (contrasted with a laser, which produces a single frequency or very narrow range of frequencies). , faster than the general population. In addition, African Americans are active online consumers, who respond more to online offerings and purchase more clothing and music online than the general online population. Specific findings of the DMS survey include: -- 85% of online African Americans stated that an African American centric news source would be very or somewhat valuable to them; -- 43% of online African Americans access the Internet using a broadband connection compared to 36% of the general online population; -- Among those Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f who are not currently using a broadband connection, African Americans are 27% more likely to get a broadband connection within the next year than the general online population; -- A majority of African Americans read online ads, and 46% find them informative compared to 26% of the general population; -- African Americans are active online consumers, purchasing more clothing/apparel online (48% vs. 41%) and more music/videos (44% vs. 39%) than the general online market; -- African Americans listen to music online and watch videos more than the general online market; -- 74% of online African Americans say the Internet has had a positive effect on their children; and -- Top three online activities for African Americans are #1: check/send email, #2: access news/headlines and #3: play online games AOL Black Focus is designed to address many of the issues and topics the online survey identified as significant to an African American audience. AOL has teamed up with industry leading brands including Africana.com, an AOL Time Warner company, Black Enterprise, BlackVoices.com, NiaOnline, The Tavis Smiley Tavis Smiley (born September 13, 1964) is an author, journalist, political commentator, and talk show host. Early years One of ten children, Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi. Show from NPR NPR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Nepal Rupee. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. , Honey, Savoy, Heart & Soul and Beliefnet to offer premium news, financial, career and entertainment content to AOL's African American members. The area hosts a robust online community that allows members to interact with one another on topics of interest to the community and offers an online bridge for members to connect with established offline communities such as sororities, fraternities, professional organizations, HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the African American community. They are often liberal arts colleges or universities. ) and more. In addition, the area will leverage robust broadband content from other AOL channels including music, entertainment and games and other AOL Time Warner brands. "We're taking another important step in getting closer to our members and their programming needs," said Jim Bankoff, Executive Vice President, AOL Programming. "We are committed to offering our members the kind of on-demand content and features that appeal to them most, however and whenever they want it. AOL Black Focus is the latest step in our ongoing effort to offer our members an experience that's tailored to their interests. We are offering the African American community a combination of exclusive content and features that will make their experience on AOL more relevant than ever." AOL Black Focus was developed by a team at AOL, led by Belinda Hankins, Executive Director and General Manager, African American Business Category, that conducted extensive market research to create an area that would offer a compelling online experience for African Americans. "Our research confirms what I had long suspected as an African American woman: there is a genuine appetite for a more comprehensive online experience tailored to the African American community," said Belinda Hankins. "AOL Black Focus offers news, career, financial, education, beauty and entertainment content from an African American perspective, allowing our members to stay informed and connected around issues of interest and importance to the community." Located at AOL Keyword: Black Focus, members will find topical topical /top·i·cal/ (top´i-k'l) pertaining to a particular area, as a topical antiinfective applied to a certain area of the skin and affecting only the area to which it is applied. top·i·cal adj. content and features of interest including: Beauty & Style: The latest skin & beauty products for black women, free samples, fashion trends and overall wellness advice News & Money: The African-American perspective on news, politics, careers and business featuring radio segments by The Tavis Smiley Show from NPR On the Scene: The inside track on black culture & entertainment, including music, film, celebrities, local and national events Relationships: Insights on forging friendships, tightening family ties, heightening height·en v. height·ened, height·en·ing, height·ens v.tr. 1. To raise or increase the quantity or degree of; intensify. 2. To make high or higher; raise. v.intr. romance and building balance between all the important connections in your life Inspiration: Exploration of spiritual beliefs, faith, self-discovery, fellowship fellowship Graduate education A post-residency training period of 1–2 yrs in a subspecialty–eg, hand surgery, which allows a specialized physician to develop a particular expertise that may have a related subspecialty board; fellowship time is often and the music of praise Connections: Chats, message boards, groups and more bringing together individuals with similar interests and passions Hankins added: "We want AOL to be the brand of choice for African Americans not just because of its premium offerings but because it serves an underlying need by providing compelling, thought-provoking content from an African American perspective. In our next phase, we will be offering expanded broadcast features and new editorial programs around home-ownership, health and children's literacy, which we recognize to be important issues for the community." About America Online, Inc. America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. of AOL Time Warner Inc. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :AOL) Based in Dulles, Virginia Dulles, Virginia is an unincorporated census-designated place located in Loudoun County, Virginia, part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. The headquarters of AOL, Orbital Sciences Corporation and ODIN technologies and the former headquarters of MCI Inc. are located in Dulles. , America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services. (1) Source: Digital Marketing Services Survey of 800 Internet users, African American and Non-African American, May 2003 (2) Source: Jupiter Market Research Forecast Report, 7/02 |
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