Netscape proved a software company could successfully release an unfinished product on the Web. The latest big-name entry in the Web news wars, ABCNEWS.com, hopes to do the same, going live Thursday morning with the label "Special Preview."
"We are still fine-tuning the site, so you may find things that are less than perfect," ABCNEWS.com executive producer Bob Aglow writes in a welcoming message. "Fear not. By May 15, any wrinkles will be ironed out." An ABCNEWS.com spokesperson indicated Wednesday that the company would not be publicizing this week's debut.
In other words, this edition of ABCNEWS.com is a beta release. The site offers a limited roster of news stories, including a preview from an ABCNEWS.com staffer of Thursday's British parliamentary elections, a package about the Oklahoma City bombing trial, and a consumer-oriented feature on truancy based on a regular segment of ABC News World News Tonight called "Solutions." The service's headline section, "News Now Summary," relies heavily on coverage from the Associated Press. Other sections, including weather information and local news links, contain broken GIFs or are simply missing.
Although the service has been in development for months, the joint venture between ABC News and Starwave was officially announced only weeks ago, at the same time ABC and Starwave announced that Disney, ABC's owner, was investing in the new-media company. Starwave and Disney also co-produce the high-traffic ESPNet Sportszone site.
