Special Event: The Auto Channel to Provide Full Coverage of the New Millenium's First Major Market U.S. Auto Show
29 September 1999
Posted By Terry
Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
AUTO CENTRAL-- You can smell it in the air, the official start of the Fall season. No, not the musty odor of burning leaves, but the sensuous aroma of a new car. There's nothing like it.
And this October the world will get it's first comprehensive look at Model Year 2000 vehicles, when The Auto Channel Internetwork, working in cooperation with the South Florida Auto-Truck Dealers Association and two local Miami television stations, broadcasts complete 'TV on the Net' coverage of the South Florida International Auto Show. Live from the Miami Beach Convention Center, October 8th-10th, TACH will present all the opening press conferences and new vehicle introductions, which are normally seen only by attending journalists news reporters.
The exclusive behind-the-scenes coverage on Friday, October 8th, will also include celebrity interviews, video footage of never-before-seen concept cars, and the presentation of The Auto Channel's 1999 Golden Tachometer Car-of-the-Year Awards. The Golden Tachometer Awards are being bestowed upon the 12 best new vehicles introduced by manufacturers in the 1999 Model Year. The ceremony will take place during the Media/Press Breakfast which is also being hosted by The Auto Channel. A complete list of 1999 Golden Tachometer winners can be found at "http://www.theautochannel.com/vehicles/new/awards/1999/index.html?VEHICLES".
A schedule of the press conferences and new vehicle introductions will be available at "http://www.theautochannel.com/cybercast/2000autoshows/index.html?EVENTS". The entire three days of broadcasts are being sponsored by Microsoft's Windows Media. Windows Media is the Internet's leading streaming media solution, allowing users to enjoy video and audio programs over the net.
Miami television station WFOR (CBS affiliate) will broadcast a special 60 minute Auto Show program on Saturday, October 9th, at 7pm ET. TACH will simulcast this show live over the Internet. On Sunday, October 10th, Miami Spanish language television station WSCV will broadcast their own special 60 minute Auto Show program. This Spanish language show will also be simulcast live on The Auto Channel, a first for the automotive web-net.
Once the Auto Show opens to the public on Friday evening, The Auto Channel will maintain a 400 square foot mini-studio on the exhibition floor, from which TACH will broadcast additional live interviews, news reports, and an hourly audience participation game show: AUTOMOBILE TRIVIA CHALLENGE. The game show will pit contestants against each other in an effort to correctly answer a series of questions. All contestants will be selected from the audience attending the exposition and will receive a cache of prizes for their involvement. The Auto Channel successfully employed a similar game show attraction at last year's Long Beach Motorcycle Show in California. Over 600,000 people are expected to visit the Southern Florida International Auto Show during its 10 day run.
The Auto Channels coverage of the South Florida International Auto Show will allow Internet users from around the world to experience every aspect of the exposition. All live broadcasts will then be archived for continuous on-demand access. Internet users will need the Windows Media Player, which is available free of charge through The Auto Channel. For best results, modems faster than 28.8kbs should be used. Windows Media Player is compatible with both Netscape and Internet Explorer browsers.
The Auto Channel Internetwork can be accessed at http://www.theautochannel.com. The Auto Channel and TACH are trademarks of The Auto Channel, Inc., all rights reserved.
Company Contact:
Marc Rauch
(502) 584-4100
(916) 852-1956
email: mjrauch@theautochannel.com
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