The weekly newsletter for everyone interested in barter--the world's most versatile business tool!

December 10, 2002

Written by Bob Meyer, Editor of BarterNews

International Monetary Systems Reports Net Revenue Increase

Wisconsin-based International Monetary Systems (OTCBB:INLM) reports a net revenue increase of 13% to $668,782 for the three months ending September 30, 2002, compared to $590,579 for the same period in 2001.

The increase was a result of the recent acquisition of Tradecorp of Columbus (OH), along with additional internal growth of the company's Continental Trade Exchange barter network. (For more on Tradecorp, see "Trade Exchange Section" on our home page.)

For additional information on IMS's quarterly report, contact CEO Don Mardak at (262) 780-3640 ext. 1205. Or see their web site: www.internationalmonetary.com.

White Eyeing ITEX Board Seat

Steven White, founder of Ubarter.com, sold his company to Network Commerce during the dot.com boom. Later, as Executive Vice President of Network Commerce he participated in the negotiation and subsequent sale of Ubarter to the ITEX organization in March 1991.

On December 3, BarterNews received a press release from White: "The Committee for the Advancement of Stockholder Equity (CASE) announced today its intention to solicit proxies to elect a slate of four nominees: Steven White, Eric Best, John Wade and Alan Zimmelman to the board of directors of ITEX Corporation (OTCBB:ITEX) at ITEX's Annual Meeting of Stockholders, scheduled for January 28, 2003." For more information on the press release e-mail: steven@morsebest.com.

Wholesale Negotiations For Media Contract On Web

XrayMedia.Com (OTCBB:XRMD), an internet real-time negotiating technology provider to the media industry, announced live wholesale negotiations on a $4 million media ad contract. (Wholesale discounts are made available because of pre-paid cancels or last minute placements that need to be sold immediately.)

There are no sign-up fees or monthly charges for buyers or sellers. You can place orders and negotiate live in a private secured 128-bit encrypted trading floor over the internet at www.xraymedia.com.

Spanish-Radio Broadcasters Lost $500 Million Due To
Arbitron Rating Company

Spanish-language radio broadcasters have blasted the radio ratings company Arbitron because of their measurement techniques. Spanish speaking people are unaccustomed to marketing polls and less likely to take part in Arbitron's survey, they say.

End result, claim the broadcasters, is an under-count of at least 20% on average. Translated into ad dollars, the lost equals $500 million to $600 million (aggregately) over the past five years. This is because advertisers use Arbitron's ratings to determine the size of a radio station's audience, allocating ad dollars accordingly.

Pressure On Madison Avenue As Marketers Worry About
Ad-Skipping Problem

Personal video recorders (PVRs) enable consumers to record any show, as well as allow them to pause and rewind shows they're watching as the programs are being broadcast.

A new survey shows a looming danger for marketers (and the agencies that place TV advertising), as PVRs, now in only 1.7 million homes, are expected to spread into 30 million homes within five years.

Marketers say when these numbers are hit, they will respond by slashing their TV spending in favor of program sponsorships and product-placement deals.

Such reallocation could hurt ad agencies, as most of their profits are now gleaned from creating and placing TV commercials. Moving into alternate types of spending could change the economics of the business drastically.

Companies Looking At Alternatives

Dayton-based Neff Packaging Solutions is a 43-year old company that has moved beyond their core business of traditional packaging. They are now committing a large portion of their budget toward promotional packaging. This is in response to companies that are increasingly shying from traditional advertising and switching to direct mailings and in-store advertising...which require promotional packaging. (Neff has increased its promotional package manufacturing from 0% to 50% of total production in the last five years.)

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Barter Fairs & Holiday Expo's Scheduled

It's that time of the year...trade exchanges across the country will be holding their annual barter fairs and expo's, enabling their clients to make needed holiday purchases on trade. Here are a few we've come across.

• BXI Orange Country (Huntington Beach, CA) Holiday Barter Fair will be taking place on Sunday, December 15, at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. For information: (714) 847-5477.

If you would like your event mentioned in next week's issue, send us the information via e-mail: "Holiday Event" to bmeyer@barternews.com.

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International Reciprocal Trade Associate - Wants You As A New Member

• The 1st International GIT-EBB Barter-Trade-Meeting took place November 14-16 in Southern Austria, near Graz. Seven barter organizations (28 individuals) from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, and Romania met in the Hotel Ochensberger to discuss future cooperation and trade among their organizations.

  Reiner Husemann of Euro Barter Business Germany has launched the online LET-System-Portal for individuals. Husemann says EBB is the first trade exchange that combines a trading environment for business owners and individuals. See www.barterportal.net.

• A two-year ad recession is about to end, according to forecasters ZenithOptimedia. Global ad spending on major media will rise 2.9% in 2003, with the greatest percentage-growth coming from Asia, Latin America and emerging markets.

  Growth in the USA will remain muted until 2004, when the presidential elections and Athens Olympics solidify the recovery with ad spending expected to rise 1.9%.

• This year's Western Show of the cable TV industry at the Anaheim Convention Center was a total bust. Attendance fell 41% to under 10,000--that's down from 17,000 last year and 30,000 in 2000.

  The fall in attendance is a sign of the continuing slump in the cable industry, which has been marred by accounting scandals and rising debt. (The industry is under fierce pressure from investors to boost profits and pay off debt; at the same time it's losing customers to digital satellite systems that offer more programming for less money.)

• Have you signed up to receive a summary via e-mail of the Tuesday Report every week? If not, go to the top of this issue (right hand corner) to sign up!

• Another new form of advertising--a speaker technology called HyperSonic Sound (HSS)-- emits ultrasonic sound waves through vending machines, super market products, gas station pumps, etc. Target advertisements will be sent to folks standing in front of the HSS path. People outside the beam, however, won't hear a thing. San Diego-based American Technology now makes the system.

• Bruce Sterling, the sci-fi wunderkind, envisions the first half of the 21st century in his new book, Tomorrow Now. He says the most important business skill needed in the next 50 years will be...drum roll please...knowing how to manage relationships!! (So what's new?)

• The Bush administration is proposing plans to phase out taxes (tariffs) on imported manufactured goods worldwide by 2015. Not much of the 144-member World Trade Organization is likely to embrace the idea. Poorer nations, which make up the majority of the WTO, would be hurt most by zeroing out tariffs. Poorer nations are demanding lower barriers in rich nations to their farm exports, which the U.S. plan doesn't address.