EDITORIAL REIGN SHIFTS AT HI-TECH HOME MAGAZINE

Electronic Magazine To Undergo Changes in Editor, Publisher and Content

August 15th, 1994 -- Grand Isle, VT -- HI-TECH HOME WEEKLY, formerly
published and distributed by BBS Press Service of Topeka, Kansas, has just
undergone what appears to be a fairly radical change in all areas. Alan R.
Bechtold, formerly Editor-In-Chief and Publisher of HI-TECH HOME wants to
assure subscribers and readers, however, that it's pretty much business as
usual under new Editor-In-Chief Steven McDonald and new publisher Speaking
Tree Productions.

One of the major reasons for this assurance is that HI-TECH HOME will
continue to be syndicated by Bechtold's BBS Press Service, a pioneer in
the online magazine world. BBS Press Service's history in the electronic
magazine field stretches back to a magazine called INFO*MAT, the first of
its kind -- and a magazine that continues in spirit in HI-TECH HOME. In
fact, INFO*MAT was merged into HI-TECH HOME along with two other BBS Press
Service publications, ONLINE DIGITAL MUSIC REVIEW and VIDEO ONLINE.

The change in command for HI-TECH HOME stems from the success of another
BBS Press Service publication, the monthly hard-copy SYSOP NEWS. With the
print magazine creating massive demands, it became difficult for Bechtold
to handle the electronic magazines. After the requisite number of
conferences and back and forthing, it was decided that BPS would shift to
handling just the syndication end of the electronic magazines, and that a
new editor would have to be found for HI-TECH HOME.

That editor turned out to be Steven McDonald. In some respects, this wasn't
too much of a surprise -- McDonald was the creator of VIDEO ONLINE, and
had continued with HI-TECH HOME after the merge.  Prior to that, he had
written extensively for ONLINE DIGITAL MUSIC REVIEW. With his assignment
to the Editor-In-Chief's chair, HI-TECH HOME not only makes the move to
Vermont but also to a new publisher: Speaking Tree Productions. BBS Press
Service will continue to distribute the magazine.

Steven McDonald comes to the editor's chair in HI-TECH HOME with a wealth
of experience that ranges from several thousand reviews for a variety of
publications to several scripts for television's AIRWOLF.  Over a period
of years he has been a lead guitarist in a reggae band, a drummer, a bass
player, a keyboardist, a New Age composer/performer, a widely published
poet, a published novelist, a producer of Bulgarian folk music and a Sysop
on General Electric's Network for Information Exchange (GEnie(r)) where he
runs the Music RoundTable (home to the ODMR Capsule Reviews, which he
edits) and the MIDI RoundTable.

McDonald's plans for HI-TECH HOME start with dropping the weekly schedule,
at least for the moment. "We're more interested in getting on our feet
during the revamp," he says. "There are quite a few adjustments to be made
from the ground up."  Amongst those adjustments are the addition of a
section covering the world of books and magazines, made for several solid
reasons. "First of all," says McDonald, "I'm a book person. Looking at a
wall of books is one of my great pleasures.  Second, books are part of the
home, always have been, always will be. Third, the world of books is
growing more and more high-tech -- printed books and magazines aren't
giving way to computer data, but they're being influenced by the things we
can do with computers, whether it's a matter of typesetting, graphic
design or supporting a book release with a CD-ROM that provides several
extra dimensions."

The new HI-TECH HOME is the first phase of many to come. For this phase,
the plan is to shift to providing as much new material as possible. "We'll
still be a forum for new product announcements," McDonald says. "But
you'll see more editorial presence. There'll be an interesting mix of
voices in every section, from books to computer hardware and software to
music and video releases.  One thing I've discovered in doing the Capsules
is that people appreciate a wide range of options, and love to be exposed
to interesting new things."

Later plans for the magazine include the use of multimedia. "We're looking
at our options here, too. The way we're approaching this is that we have a
goal in sight -- but we don't want to make the mistake of grabbing at an
instant option. There are multimedia solutions there for us, but we're
still dubious about some of the choices.  We're looking at RIP for online
purposes, as an interim solution. For the offline development, we're
probably going to take the interesting solution -- our readers want
comparative examinations of software, and this is one more comparison
test."

For now, the big deal is getting the first of the new issues out of the
door. The change in command occurs with #66.  Is the new editor nervous? 
"Not at all," he says. "If anything, I'm surprised and pleased by how much
has come together with this changeover.  I expected to be a nervous,
exhausted wreck by this point, and I'm far from it.  If anything, I'm
excited.  It's turning out to be happening more easily than I expected.
Speaking as an information junkie, it's a dream come true."

Hi-Tech Home Magazine
405 US Route 2
Grand Isle, VT 05458
(802) 372-3834 voice,  (802) 372-3832 fax
SM@GENIE.GEIS.COM - Internet;  America Online: HTHome Mag

BBS Press Service
(913) 478-3157 voice,  (913) 478-1189 fax
BPS.INC@GENIE.GEIS.COM - Internet

 ============================================================
 From the  'New Product Information'  Electronic News Service
 on AOL (Keyword = New Products) & Delphi (GO BUSINESS PROD)
 ============================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 above mentioned company. For additional details, contact 
 the company at the address or telephone number indicated.
 OmniPage Pro is now used for converting all printed input! 
 ============================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  U.S.A.
 Email: RBakerPC (AOL/Delphi), rbakerpc@delphi.com (Internet)
 ============================================================
