New York Comic Con to Launch Free Podcast

Norwalk, CT, January 22, 2007: In a significant development that will transform it into a year-round national event, New York Comic Con (NYCC) has announced that it will launch an audio and video podcast available free to the general public.

The podcast episodes, which will begin almost immediately after New York Comic Con (February 23-25) concludes, will feature interviews, anime clips, previews from TV shows and films and highlights from panel discussions at the show. The podcasts are expected to be released for several months following the convention and will remain available throughout the year. Fans may subscribe to the podcasts through the official podcast web site at www.nycccast.com or through popular podcast portals such as iTunes. They will be able to download the podcasts to their iPod, portable player or cell phone, or they will be able to watch or listen to the episodes directly on their computer through streaming technology.

This new podcast venture is similar to a program that was launched at BookExpo America (BEA) in May, 2006. New York Comic Con and BookExpo America are both managed by Reed Exhibitions and the podcast initiative at both conventions is produced in partnership with BurstMarketing. In its inaugural presentation, BEA's podcast had 60,000 downloads and 220,000 unique visitors from 25 countries to the podcast website.

"I like to think of this venture as a 'convention without walls' that will put New York Comic Con in front of a limitless number of people, anytime and anywhere," notes Greg Topalian, Show Director for NYCC. "This allows us to take our dynamic programming beyond a room of a few thousand people and showcase it to an audience that extends throughout the country, and even the world. The benefit to fans, exhibitors, as well as our honored guests is enormous as it provides everyone with a flexible, accessible, national platform."

The New York Comic Con podcast will have approximately 36 episodes in several categories, including:

• The Creators will feature interviews with honored guests such as Stephen King, Stan Lee, George Perez, Marc Silvestri, Brian K. Vaughan, Paul Dini, Jeff Smith and J.M. Straczynski. We also will feature a trip down Artist Alley where we will inteview comic, graphic novel and manga artists, writers and publishers talking about their latest work, newest characters and fan favorites.
• Anime: 2007 American Anime Awards will feature clips and interviews with winners at the American Anime Awards which is set to debut at New York Comic Con.
• ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference will offer highlights and interviews from the panels and speakers on new trends shaping pop culture.
• Games Update will feature the latest news and previews of electronic games.
• The Screening Room will feature clips and previews of major movie and TV releases such as Ghost in the Shell and Shinobi.
• Buzz Report will feature interviews of attendees of NYCC and ask them what's the buzz, what's hot, what's cool.

BurstMarketing (www.burstmarketing.com), is a full-service podcast publishing company that specializes in producing podcasts for major conventions and shows. As noted, the company currently produces a podcast in partnership with Reed Exhibitions for BookExpo America (www.bookexpocast.com), North America's largest book fair and trade exhibit.

"The New York Comic Con podcast will turn a three-day event into a worldwide and year-round platform enabling fans of comics, graphic novels, anime and manga who are unable to attend New York Comic Con to experience the fun and unique excitement of the show," said Rob Simon, president and founder of BurstMarketing.

ABOUT REED EXHIBITIONS: New York Comic Con is operated by Reed Exhibitions which is the world's leading events organizer. In 2006 Reed brought together over six million industry professions from around the world generating billions of dollars in business. Today Reed events are held in 34 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific, and organized by 37 fully staffed offices.

Reed organizes a wide range of events, including exhibitions, conferences, congresses and meetings. It's portfolio of over 460 events serves 52 industry sectors, including:

Aerospace and defense, building and construction, design, electronics, energy, oil and gas, entertainment, food and hospitality, gifts, healthcare, IT/telecoms, jewelry, manufacturing, marketing and business services, pharmaceuticals, property, publishing, security, sport and recreation, transport and logistics, travel.

Working closely with professional bodies, trade associations and government departments Reed ensures that each and every event is targeted and relevant to industry needs. As a result, many Reed events are market leaders in their field.

Reed Exhibitions is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a FTSE-100 company and world-leading publisher and information provider. In 2005, Reed Elsevier made adjusted profit before taxation of £1,002 million on turnover of £5,166 million.