"Wild Wild Web" is the first TV show about entertainment and pop culture on the Web and illustrates the symbiosis between TV and the Internet and potential of broadband. It is produced by One Zero Media, the $4 million multimedia production entity founded by "Wild Wild Web" co-creator Alan Chebot, and syndicated in 85 percent of the country through Eyemark Entertainment, a division of CBS. The show in turn directs viewers to its corresponding
Web site , available through the AltaVista portal, for supplemental editorial information and links to Web sites and e-commerce mentioned on the show. The show is hip without reaching MTV levels of attitude, and informative to varying levels of Internet interest and experience. Segments range from interviews with Web-savvy stars to how to buy stocks or plan a wedding online. In fact, celebrities have tapped into it faster than their publicists. During one press conference, pop singer Natalie Merchant limited her one-on-one interviews to CNN and "Wild Wild Web." Aerosmith and David Bowie have visited the show_s loft-like studio. Segments are hosted by two appealing hosts who refreshingly come from the arenas they cover, rather than a Calvin Klein ad. Matt Lindley, a self-described "geek turned TV host," was a creative director for Ziff-Davis Inc., while Beth Lahr worked as a producer/director for Boston_s NBC affiliate, WHDH. Tapings abound with ad libs as the pair attempt to crack each other up on-camera. Such chemistry has helped attract a cult following of 2 million viewers a week in the U.S., Australia and Singapore, and 4 million pages views a month from 1.3 million unique users. AltaVista also sponsors the TV show.