With subscription plans priced at $30 for one year and $50 for two years, Salon Premium subscribers receive access to exclusive Salon.com content like "The Love Potion Murders," a serialized murder mystery; "Bushed!", a daily column on the Bush administration; MP3 audio downloads and more. Subscribers also receive services such as the ability to download a complete day's worth of original Salon.com articles and the option of viewing Salon.com without encountering banner and pop-up advertising. A full list of the subscriber benefits is available at http://www.salon.com/premium/intro/index.html .

"We're thrilled by the early success of our new subscription service, Salon Premium," said Michael O'Donnell, Salon Media Group's President and CEO. "These initial results track with our goal to convert 1%-2% of our 3,500,000 user base in year one. It also reaffirms our decision to move Salon's business to a hybrid model -- continuing to allow access to most of our content at no cost within an advertising sponsored environment akin to network TV and also providing a premium subscription version with exclusive content and services, much like cable TV."

About Salon:

Founded in 1995, Salon.com is a leading Internet media company that produces 10 award-winning, original content sites and hosts two online communities, Table Talk and The WELL. More than 530 companies have advertised on Salon.com including IBM, Lexus, Microsoft, EDS, Hewlett-Packard, Mastercard, AskJeeves, Virgin Megastore Online, Powell's Books, Kimberly Clark and Intel. In December 1999, Salon.com announced a content and equity agreement with Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp. and NBC. Strategic wireless distribution partners include AvantGo, Omnisky, Palm.net and Skytel.