Media feasts on dotcom carnage during closures

<p>Print media spent much of last year feasting on dying dotcoms, </p><p>according to a report by Applied Communications, which added online </p><p>companies received more media coverage when they terminated businesses </p><p>than while they were still in business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The study found 33 out of 55 failed dotcoms were covered more by print </p><p>media titles when they announced they were closing than they had when </p><p>they were open for business. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It also found companies that engaged in elaborate publicity stunts, such </p><p>as lavish spending on advertising and marketing initiatives, or </p><p>attempted to persuade journalists their companies would survive the </p><p>dotcom gloom received even more media coverage when they failed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In the US, the companies that received the most media coverage when they </p><p>closed last year included boo.com, pets.com and toysmart.com. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Applied Communications surveyed the amount and prominence of dotcom </p><p>coverage in more than 6,500 publications. It found that the size of the </p><p>company - whether it was a small or large sized company - or the nature </p><p>of its business had no bearing on the amount of coverage a company </p><p>received when it terminated operation. It concluded, "Flameout is an </p><p>equal opportunity proposition". </p><p><BR><BR> </p>