Car Magazine Races to Redesign. Motor Trend magazine is introducing a new model, a redesigned look for the 1.2 million-circulation monthly. The redesign goes into effect with the
September issue. Executive editor Chuch Schifsky says the magazine will include a lot more features and information. The companion Web site, motortrend.com, also is undergoing a redesign. (Schifsky,
323/782-2222)
Depth of Computing, Breadth of Business. A year ago, PC Computing became Smart Business. But the million-circulation magazine is still wrestling with the transition to a more
general business-interest publication. Editor Geoffrey Precourt says its market niche is for people who know a lot about computers but not too much about business, and vice versa. "There's a guy in
Schenectady, a GE manager, who's wondering what's up with this technology stuff," Precourt speculates. "When he reads the computer [magazines they're too technical] and when he reads Forbes or
Fortune they're assuming a bunch of knowledge he doesn't have." (Precourt, 212/503-3500) "Lexis" Make a Deal. Lexis-Nexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc., and a leading provider of
online information to the legal, business, academic and government markets, announces its acquisition of Press Access Inc., provider of media intelligence and automation solutions for PR and marketing
communications professionals (including PR NEWS' "Media Moves" feature). Rich Barno, president of Press Access, says his company has enjoyed growth of more than 130 percent this year, so it had
several options. The entire Press Access management team will join Lexis-Nexis, and the rest of the PA staff is also expected to become part of the larger organization.
(Barno, 617/542-6670)