CMP Media's Business Computing Titles Dominate Among the Core Buying Audiences, According to Latest IntelliQuest Findings.

MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 1998--

InformationWeek and Network Computing Place First and

Second in Information Systems Category; CMP Sweeps Top Three

Spots in Networking Category; Windows Magazine Leads All PC

Publications in Reader Loyalty

CMP Media's business computing and communications titles dominate among the core buying audiences, which outspend the broader universe of purchasing influencers by a wide margin, according to the results of the 1998 IntelliQuest Computer Industry Media Study (CIMS), released yesterday.

IntelliQuest gives a detailed perspective on the difference between influence and buying. The most important buyers tracked in the study--information systems (IS) and networking professionals--lead all others in purchasing authority. IS professionals outspend the study average by a factor of five to one and networking professionals outspend by a factor of four to one.(1)

The IntelliQuest Study, which mirrors the results of the Simmons study released in June, show that CMP's business computing and communications titles dominate these two key categories. In the IS category, InformationWeek increased its readership lead, as measured in average issue audience, gaining 5%, while Network Computing increased by more than 10% moving into second place. IDG's Computerworld, InfoWorld and Ziff-Davis' (NYSE: ZD) PC Week all posted declines, with PC Week dropping 14.9%.(2)

In the networking category, Network Computing, InternetWeek, and LANTimes respectively swept the top three spots as measured in average issue audience. In addition, InternetWeek and LANTimes placed one and two among all similar titles as measured in reader loyalty(3) while Data Communications had the highest average spending per respondent.(4)

"Our goal is to deliver the leading information sources for every significant key IT buying audience in business computing and communications, from the broadest to the most specialized. The IntelliQuest results clearly show that our titles lead all others in the most important buying categories there are," said Tony Uphoff, vice president and group publisher for CMP's Business Computing and Communications Group. "Considering the sharp declines that Computerworld, InfoWorld, and PC Week witnessed among the most powerful buying audience studied, you have to wonder if their editorial products really scale to today's IS audience," he said.

"InformationWeek's continued rise in readership and buying power along with Network Computing's leap to the number two position reflects our unique editorial and circulation strategies. In addition, our acquisition of the McGraw-Hill networking titles have clearly furthered our dominant position in this market," Uphoff added.

Looking at the total CIMS universe of 26.3 million, CMP's Windows Magazine, a monthly publication reaching more 800,000 business technology buyers, once again had the highest reader loyalty when compared with publications in the PC category--which includes Ziff-Davis titles PC Magazine and PC/Computing, and IDG's PC World. CIMS also revealed that Windows Magazine was number one in the category of "read 75% or more of each issue" and also was number one in the important category of "more likely to read advertising very or extremely closely."

CMP Media Inc. (Nasdaq: CMPX) is a leading high-tech media company providing essential information and marketing services to the broad technology spectrum--the builders, sellers and users of technology worldwide. With its portfolio of newspapers, magazines, custom publishing, Internet products and conferences, CMP is uniquely positioned to offer marketers comprehensive, integrated solutions tailored to meet their individual needs. Online editions of the company's print publications, along with products and services created exclusively for the Internet, can be found on CMPnet at http://www.CMPnet.com. NSTL, the company's independent testing lab, serves government, corporate and technology vendor clients around the world.

1 Based on primary job function IS and primary job function networking.

2 Based on primary job function IS; percentages based on projected audience growth/decline from CIMS v.4 to v.5.

3 Reader loyalty is defined as readers who read three or four out of every four issues, based on percent of audience.

4 Based on total sample.