ADDISON, Texas, Jan. 13, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nearly 60,000 high resolution photos were downloaded from Wieck Media Services database and Web servers during the four-day media preview at the 2003 North American International Auto Show, the company reported today.
The total number of high-resolution photo files downloaded during the preview, Jan. 5-8, was 58,383, the company said. That represented a more than 50 percent increase from the previous year.
The most active day was Jan. 7 when 22,308 image files were downloaded by newspapers, magazines, trade journals and other media located around the world. In all, reporters and editors in 43 countries accessed the various media Web sites that Wieck manages and maintains for the automakers.
Wieck's automotive clients posted more than 1,600 photos of new models and concept vehicles that were announced, unveiled or displayed during the show.
The company also reported that 16,784 images were downloaded during the Los Angeles auto show Jan. 2-4, bringing the total number of high-resolution photo downloads for the two shows to more than 75,000 and totaling more than 40 gigabytes of data.
"Media Web sites have become the most efficient methods of delivering information to the media, both in terms of cost effectiveness and in terms of media convenience," said James F. Wieck, chairman. "Spot news photos from various unveilings were available and being downloaded by the media within minutes."
Motor Trend Magazine's Executive Editor Matt Stone said, "We use Wieck as a fast and convenient way to receive and edit artwork. Fast is important to the magazine, and to our Motor Trend online Web site, which does daily news recaps from the auto shows.
"While OEM's provide good press art with their kits, there's nothing like seeing Bill Ford presenting the new Mustang, Bob Lutz walking the floor, and the rest of the execs, designers, and celebs be a part of an auto show landscape," said Stone. "If we had our say, every OEM would put their photography on Wieck."
"During the press days of the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, our photo download rate tripled over the same period last year," said Kay Magilavy of Corporate Planning and Information Resources at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. "Photos from the show floor were available to our site visitors minutes after the live announcements. Wieck Media Services is a cornerstone of the success of our information delivery capability."
"Toyota and Lexus's North American journalist Website has been hosted at Wieck since its inception in 1996. Relying on the Wieck team's expertise, we have been able to consistently meet and exceed our targets for just-in-time delivery of photos and text to our users. Usage of the site has grown dramatically in the past several years," Magilavy said.
"This year the Detroit show represented a watershed event in digital photography," said Tim Roberts, president of Wieck. "For the first time, nearly all of the images coming out of the show were created by photographers using digital cameras. This allowed the images to be more timely and allowed the manufacturers to post a better selection of live images from the show. Our Web and distribution technologies have enabled the manufacturers to relate to the relevant media in ways never before possible."
"In the past, our servers would get a breather during late night hours," said Alex Sian, Webmaster for Wieck. "But this year, the demand was 24/7. Many more global media are aware of us now, and that's the biggest reason for the increased traffic. Regardless, the servers held up perfectly, and were available for 100 percent of the show's duration."
Wieck Media Services specializes in Web delivery of multimedia files -- text, graphics, photos, audio and video -- to media organizations worldwide. The 11-year-old firm was ranked No. 7 on the Dallas Business Journal's 2002 annual list of the area's largest Web-hosting companies.
Wieck utilizes Internet and Web technologies to distribute the news reports, columns, photos and graphics for The New York Times News and Syndicate Services, as well as the daily Times Digest and the daily and weekly crossword puzzles. The company also distributes the daily photo reports for Agence France-Presse, Kyodo News Service and LAT Photographic in London.
Wieck's corporate clients include American Honda Motor Co. Inc., American Suzuki Motor Corp., AT&T, The Coca-Cola Co., DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor Co., General Motors, HIT Entertainment, Kmart, Toyota Corporate Services and Weber Shandwick.