Dove Entertainment Becomes NewStar Media

Posted on May 21, 1998

NewStar Media Inc. is the new corporate name of Dove Entertainment, Inc., it was announced by Ron Lightstone, President and CEO. The current entities of NewStar Media Inc. include NewStar Publishing (NewStar Press and Dove Audio), NewStar Television and NewStar Worldwide.

NewStar Publishing, helmed by publisher Geoff Hannell, former head of HarperCollins' audiobook and mass market paperback divisions, has made significant operational changes. Since January 1, 1998, Dove Audio product has been sold through the company's own sales force and shipped entirely from a company-controlled warehouse facility. Additionally, an arrangement with UAV Corporation, a major distributor, will enable Dove Audio to market a lower-priced product line at Walmart, K-Mart, grocery store chains and thousands of other outlets that have not sold audio books in the past.

Dove Audio has published a number of popular audio books such as The Abuse of Power, a recording of the newly transcribed Nixon White House tapes. Forthcoming titles include the Titanic Disaster Hearings, produced in the Dove Audio studio with 25 readers; and President Jimmy Carter's reading of his Virtues of Aging for publication in October, 1998. NewStar Publishing will issue the lengthy Shadows on the Hudson by Nobel-Prize winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer in four installments.

NewStar Press plans to publish printed books, concentrating on nonfiction books in the health and lifestyle, entertainment and business areas. Its newest title is False Prophets by Dale and Connie Jakes, freelance FBI undercover operatives with the Montana Freemen. The authors are scheduled to testify in the upcoming trial of 14 Freemen leaders on May 26th.

Under Ron Ziskin, President of NewStar Television, the company has completed principal photography on the two-hour telefilm Futuresport for ABC. Wesley Snipes stars in the futuristic action thriller along with Dean Cain and Vanessa L. Williams. Earlier this year, the television division had a ratings winner with its two-hour original film on ABC-TV, Unwed Father, with Beverly Hills 90210 star Brian Austin Green. It also delivered 165 episodes of Make Me Laugh for Buena Vista Television and The Comedy Channel. Make Me Laugh has been The Comedy Channel's highest-rated game show for the past year.