C. Van Tune Ankels Motor Trend Joins High Impact Television Team

    NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--Oct. 11, 2001--High Impact Television (HIT) is proud to announce that veteran automotive print/TV/radio journalist C. Van Tune will be joining their news production team, beginning Nov. 1.
    Tune has served as editor-in-chief of the Motor Trend brand (magazine/TV/radio/Web site) since 1994, and has taken the magazine's circulation from 950,000 to 1.25 million. Tune will be stepping down from his Motor Trend position to concentrate full-time on television and radio broadcasting, as well as webcasting and the creation of new programming.
    Tune, a hands-on editor and lifelong car enthusiast with a proven touch for delivering what customers want, will bring his considerable on-camera broadcast talents to High Impact Television. Regarded as "The most watched automotive expert in America," Tune is a regular guest on such national programs as The Today Show, 20/20, Live with Regis & Kelly, The View, Extra, MSNBC's "The News with Brian Williams," and scores more.
    Over the past five years, Tune and High Impact Television president Tore Dietrich have achieved excellent success in producing live TV news satellite-broadcasts from major auto shows, generating in 2000 alone a staggering 49 million impressions.
    Combined with Tune's other regular TV appearances on such major-market programs as the KTLA Morning News in Los Angeles, Tune's automotive commentary reaches more than 75 million people per year on television, and millions more on radio and the Internet.
    "Van possesses a unique combination of on-camera personality, along with an in-depth knowledge of the automotive industry. We look forward to developing programming that takes full advantage of his broadcast experience," said Dietrich.
    "I've always been impressed with the level of professionalism displayed by the High Impact TV team. This is a first-class operation all the way," Tune said. Adding, "I look forward to helping High Impact TV take automotive programming to new levels of quality, content and reach."
    With headquarters in Newport Beach, HIT is the largest broadcast producer providing television networks and affiliates with news coverage from the country's most renowned automotive and trade show events, including the Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago Auto Shows, COMDEX, PC EXPO, Electronic Entertainment Expo, Consumer Electronic Show (CES), Toy Fair, and the National Hardware Show.
    Every major network and hundreds of affiliates have utilized HIT's feeds and services from these shows. To date, HIT produced broadcasts and webcasts have been seen by more than 2 billion television viewers and Internet users worldwide.