OutNOW! goes weekly.? Daily? On line!

OutNOW! is no longer just a traditional printed newspaper. In  conjunction with
Metro Newspapers and Virtual Valley Inc., OutNOW! has become one of the
nation's first gay newspapers to aggressively enter the world of on-line
electronic publishing.

Through the facilities of the Live Wire system, readers are
now able to read an electronic version of OutNOW!, retrieve additional
background information about stories which appear in print, get information
about community resources, and participate in interactive discussions about
topics of interest to our community. The electronic version of the newspaper,
called OutNOW! Alive, is constantly updated with news and information as it
happens. The two-week interval between printed copies of the newspaper has been
eliminated, truly making OutNOW! a 24-hour gay news and information service.

Chris Thomas, publisher of OutNOW!, is excited about the launch of OutNOW!
Alive. "Once again, we are disproving the myth that a gay newspaper has to be
second-class," said Thomas. "Our cooperative work with Metro and Virtual Valley
will allow us to bring a truly world-class service to Northern California's gay
community. I am especially honored that we were invited to participate in
LiveWire, and both Metro and Virtual Valley are to be commended for their
outstanding support of our community."
LiveWire will be available at no charge to anyone with a suitably configured
Macintosh or IBM PC or compatible. A "premium" level of service, which . is
expected to cost around $50 per year according to Virtual Valley, will providev
extended access beyond the 30-minute daily limit at the basic level. The
software to run LiveWire will be made available for free, and can be obtained
over telephone lines via download.

LiveWire also links users to worldwide computer networks and offers a wide
range of information services. It allows users to exchange views and
information through a series of electronic "conferences," LiveWire is connected
to the Internet, and is a member of the OneNet network. Electronic mail among
subscribers is also available, with no additional surcharges or limits.

LiveW! re operates on FirstClass software developed and sold by SoftArc Inc. of
Toronto, Canada.  The system operates on an Apple Quadra 950 computer connected
to telephone lines with high-speed modems operating at up to 14,000 bit per
second.

Metro is the Silcon Valley's largest weekly newspaper, and is the first weekly
paper in the nation to aggressively embrace electronic publishing in this
format.  LiveWire also features articles from Metro, new reports, and dining
and entertainment reviews, a calendar of events, on-line classified adds, and
personal ads.