PC World hits one million circulation mark; Latest figures for world's leading PC monthly highlight period of expansive growth, circulation gain of 55 percent over past three years.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 1995--PC World, the world's largest monthly PC publication, announced today that effective with its July, 1995 issue, it will raise its rate base to one million paid circulation.

The announcement highlights a period of significant growth for PC World, including a circulation gain of 55 percent over the past three years, making PC World, the fastest growing major PC publication.

PC World's circulation growth is due in large part, to its popularity among the publication's core audience of business managers. Eighty-four percent of PC World's paid readership have management titles. Independent, major syndicated research studies such as MRI, IntelliQuest's CIMS study, and Erdos & Morgan's Purchase Influence in American Business Study (PIAB) have all identified business managers as a core market segment for PC products. Fall, 1994 data from MRI indicates that 80 percent of all business PC buyers are managers, and the 1994 PIAB study showed a 24 percent increase from 1992 in the number of managers who are involved in purchasing PC products.

"This gain in circulation is an outgrowth of our tightly-focused editorial and PC World's ability to respond quickly and effectively to the needs of a target audience that is essential to the PC purchasing process," said PC World President and Publisher Richard J. Marino. "Our initial vision of the expanding market for PC-related information among business managers has been validated by this extremely strong circulation growth. A great deal of credit must go to our editorial team who have consistently developed innovative and award-winning value-added content for our readers."

PC World's editorial excellence was recently recognized by the American Business Press, who awarded the magazine a landmark three Jesse H. Neal Editorial Awards for Excellence. PC World has also been nominated for six prestigious Maggie Awards, the winners of which will be announced on April 21st.

PC World most recently demonstrated the vitality of its circulation by substantially exceeding its 1994 rate base. According to a Publishers's Statement prepared for the Audit Bureau of Circulation, PC World delivered 951,849 readers for the period July, 1994 through December 1994, substantially surpassing its 1994 rate base of 910,000, and getting a head start on its 1995 rate base of 950,000.

The rate base of one million will be effective with the July, 1995 issue, and no rate increases are expected until the September, 1995 issue. There will be no increases for contract advertisers until the January, 1996 issue.

The winner of three Jesse H. Neal Awards for Editorial Excellence from the American Business Press, PC World is the world's largest monthly PC publication. PC World is published in San Francisco by PCW Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), which publishes more than 233 computer magazines and newspapers in 65 countries. IDG is headquartered in Boston and has annual revenues of more than $1.3 billion and 7,200 employees.

CONTACT: PC World

Lee Doyle, 415/978-3168

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Lloyd Benson/Helen Shik, 617/478-2330