GENERAL
Financial
Media Group, Inc. (the “Company,” "We," or "FMG") is a full service financial
media company focused on applications that enables the retail investment and
financial communities to collaborate directly with publicly traded companies.
The Company provides Internet based media and advertising services through
its
financial website and the Company’s newspaper “WallSt.net Digest.” The Company
provides full array of customized investor awareness programs such as audio
and
video of senior management interviews; press releases; newsletter and
editorials; small cap conferences and seminars; email mailings and
forums.
WallStreet
Direct, Inc. (“WallStreet”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Financial Media Group,
Inc. was incorporated in the State of Nevada on January 5, 2005 as a financial
holding company specializing as a provider of financial news, tools and
content for the global investment community. On January 15, 2005, WallStreet
acquired 100% of the assets and outstanding shares of Digital WallStreet, Inc.
which was 100% owned by the majority shareholder (86%) of the Company, in
exchange for two promissory notes of $1,500,000 each, carrying interest at
6%
per annum, due and payable on January 31, 2007 and January 31, 2010. As this
merger is between entities under the common control, the issuance of the
promissory notes to the majority shareholder has been recorded as a distribution
to the majority shareholder. The merger has been accounted for on historical
cost basis.
Digital
WallStreet, Inc. was incorporated in Nevada on June 12, 2002, and commenced
its
operations during the first quarter of 2003. Wallstreet is a full service
financial media company focused on applications that enables the retail
investors and financial communities to collaborate directly with publicly traded
companies. The company provides internet based media and advertising services
through its financial website “Wallst.net” and the through its business
newspaper “WallSt.net Digest.”
On
January 6, 2006, Financial Media Group, Inc. acquired 100% of the equity in
WallStreet pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Reorganization dated September
19, 2005 by and between WallStreet and the Company. Financial Media Group,
Inc.,
formerly known as Giant Jr. Investments Corp. was incorporated in Nevada in
1984
as Southern Development Company, Inc. Pursuant to the acquisition of WallStreet,
WallStreet became the wholly owned subsidiary of Financial Media Group, Inc.
The
former shareholders of WallStreet received 19,998,707 shares or 82% of the
issued and outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock in exchange for all
the issued and outstanding shares of WallStreet.
The
acquisition of WallStreet is accounted for as a reverse acquisition under the
purchase method of accounting since the shareholders of WallStreet obtained
control of the consolidated entity. Accordingly, the reorganization of the
two companies is recorded as a recapitalization of WallStreet, with WallStreet
being treated as the continuing operating entity. The historical financial
statements presented herein will be those of WallStreet. The continuing entity
retained August 31 as its fiscal year end.
On
February 10, 2006, Financial Media Group, Inc. established a 100% wholly owned
subsidiary Financial Filings, Inc. This business unit focuses on providing
Edgarization and newswire services to small and mid-sized public companies.
These compliance services provide formatting of pertinent SEC filings and
distribution of news in more than 30 languages to media outlets in more than
135
countries.
On
June
13, 2006, Financial Media Group, Inc. established another wholly owned
subsidiary MyWallStreet, Inc. MyWallStreet, Inc. is presently in the development
stage and will offer a social networking platform that allows members to
collaborate with one another, build personalized WebPages, exchange ideas,
access financial content, and build social networks comprised of other
members, targeted to the financial community.
CORPORATE
HISTORY
The
Company was incorporated in Nevada in 1984 as Southern Development Company,
Inc.
("SDC"). In December 1994, SDC merged with Integrated Communications Access
Network, Inc. ("ICAN"). In March 1996, the Company was renamed SDC, and in
September 1998, the Company changed its name to EssxSport Corp. At that time,
the Company had no assets and no liabilities. From September 1998 until August
31, 2004, the Company was primarily engaged in the manufacture and distribution
of athletic equipment, primarily for pole vaulting and other track and field
activities. The Company's major operation was the sale of several lines of
sporting gear and equipment under the brand name EssxSport. The Company produced
and manufactured it own brand products and private labeled products for others
in the Sports Industry. The Company also contracted with manufacturers for
the
production of other sports equipment and various other lines, primarily
targeting the track and field market, with products used in Baseball,
Basketball, Volleyball, and Soccer, marketing directly to end users via the
internet, catalog sales, and trade shows. Effective August 31, 2004, the Company
sold, transferred, and delivered all of its assets relating to its pole vault
and sports business to its former President and director. The assets sold
included names, logos, trademarks, and endorsements relating to name
“EssxSport,” all the equipment, tools, inventory and ownership of a
wholly-owned subsidiary, Eonlinesports.com, Inc.
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On
June
30, 2004, the Company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC")
to become a business development company ("BDC") under the 1940 Act and on
September 1, 2004 it began its BDC operations. On June 1, 2005, the Company
terminated its BDC status and on August 1, 2005, the Company’s shareholders
approved an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation changing the Company’s
name to “Financial Media Group, Inc.”
On
June
1, 2005, shareholders of Financial Media Group, Inc. (formerly “Giant Jr.
Investments Corp.”, “Giant Jr.”), voted to terminate the Company’s legal
status as a Business Development Company (“BDC”) as defined under Section 2(a)
(48) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (The “1940 Act”), as amended. After
the termination of such status, the Company has been governed by the rules
and
regulations promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities
and
Exchange Act of 1934.
Business
Segment
Financial
Media Group, Inc. is a fully integrated financial brand builder focusing on
developing better tools and education for both the retail investor and small
to
medium size public companies. Management analyzes its client's operations by
reviewing financial information regarding products and services that are
aggregated into a single operating segment, investor awareness.
General
Business Plan
The
Company’s has established itself as specializing in financial news, tools
and original, compelling content for the global investment community. WallStreet
Direct’s flagship website, wallst.net, features information on thousands of
publicly traded companies through exclusive executive management interviews,
original articles, financial tools, and community driven
applications.
The
Company is an end-destination website for retail investors, investment
professionals, and executives from around the world. The
Company’s Financial Filings Inc. subsidiary was initiated to leverage WallStreet
Direct, Inc.’s existing client base, by offering Edgarization services to small
and mid-sized public companies. With the establishment of My WallStreet, Inc.
an
all-new social networking website, an eCommerce platform, proprietary branded
products, and a financial education platform, all of which will be vertically
integrated with the Company’s existing web properties, and brands.
Market
Regulation
Fair Disclosure and The Sarbanes Oxley Act have changed the landscape of
investor relations ("IR") dramatically, forcing companies to re-evaluate the
methods they use to communicate with investors. These regulations have also
put
the spotlight on Web-based disclosure and have turned web casting and Web sites
into mission-critical applications. In the wake of these regulatory changes,
investors are looking to get more of their information directly from the
company.
Small
and
medium size public companies do not receive the same coverage as large public
companies. Over the last few years, the Internet has become a cost-effective
solution to enhance the profile of public companies, but many small and mid
cap
companies have lacked the skills and knowledge to take full advantage of this
opportunity. This had led to the outsourcing of Internet related services.
Requirements of small and mid cap companies are broad and range from the design,
development, and maintenance of investor relations oriented websites to the
creation of effective on-line advertising campaigns.
The
recent wake of corporate scandals has resulted in declining investor confidence
and heightened demands to make publicly traded companies more transparent.
Investors today expect more financial and non-financial data than ever before.
With the widespread use of the web as a timely, low-cost means of disseminating
information, both regulatory bodies and investors have grown more aggressive
in
their demands for fair and timely access to unfiltered company information.
Many
companies have fewer sell-side analysts covering their stock. Since most
investors use some formal analysis to make investment decisions, sell-side
coverage is valuable for attracting investors who might not otherwise find
an
emerging company on their radar screen. The staff reductions at Wall Street
securities firms in the last few years have resulted in thinner coverage by
sell-side analysts and brokers, opening the way for companies to use the
Internet to communicate directly with investors and the media. Gone are the
days
when a company can rely exclusively on their sell-side analysts to deliver
their
message to the buy side. In this new environment, companies need to find ways
to
communicate directly to investors. Web-based communications can play an
important role in providing tools for companies to reach buy side investors
with
your company’s message.
Competition
Generally,
competitive factors within the investor awareness market include the range
and
depth of financial tools and dimensions of email offerings, the quality of
web
site content, and the reliability of reference information provided in
connection with the sundry active campaigns. We are aware of several companies
which are much larger and have greater name recognition, that provide some
level
of investor awareness in similar delivery formats. However, we believe that:
(i)
the depth and quality of our information, (ii) the assortment of the Company’s
financial tools, (iii) and the Company’s Web site, provide us with a competitive
advantage compared to other investor awareness providers.
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RISK
FACTORS
The
Diminution or loss, misappropriation or legal claims on the brand name
"WALLST.NET" would have a material adverse affect on our
business.
The
Company is highly dependent on our brand name "Wallst.net" for the success
of
our venture. It believes the diminution or loss, misappropriation of our
existing proprietary rights or claims of infringement or legal actions related
to intellectual property of "Wallst.net" brand name, or any other negative
market or industry perception arising from these, would have a material adverse
effect on our business.
The
Company currently relies on contractual rights, copyrights, trademarks, and
trade secrets to protect our intellectual property rights. The Company does
not
hold any patents. There can be no assurance that the Company means of protecting
its proprietary rights will be adequate or that our competitors will not
independently develop comparable or superior technologies or obtain unauthorized
access to its proprietary technologies.
The
Company holds the Internet domain name www.wallst.net. Under current domain
name
registration practices, no one else can obtain an identical domain name, but
someone might obtain a similar name, or the identical name with a different
suffix, such as ".org,” or with a country designation. The regulation of domain
names in the United States and in foreign countries is subject to change, and
the Company would be unable to prevent third parties from acquiring domain
names
that infringe or otherwise decrease the value of our domain names.
Our
operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future as a result of
a
variety of factors, many of which are outside our control. These factors
include:
In
early
stage of the Company’s development and traffic levels on the Company’s web site,
commerce may fluctuate significantly as a result of business and financial
news
events; the demand for advertising on its web site as well as on the web in
general; changes in rates paid for web advertising resulting from competition
or
other factors; the Company’s ability to enter into or renew key agreements; the
amount and timing of our costs related to the Company’s marketing efforts or
other initiatives; fees paid for distribution or content agreements or other
costs incurred as the Company expands its operations; new services introduced
by
the Company or our competitors; competitive factors; technical difficulties
or
system downtime affecting the web generally or the operation of the Company’s
web site; or economic conditions specific to the web as well as general economic
conditions.
The
Company expects that over time its revenues will come from a mix of investor
awareness work, advertising, content licensing, membership driven e-commerce,
and newspaper subscription service fees. However, the Company expects to be
substantially dependent on investor awareness work and advertising revenues
for
the foreseeable future. Therefore, the Company’s revenues and operating results
are likely to be particularly affected by the level of its ability to win
various investor awareness mandates and advertising proposals going forward.
The
Company’s cost structure could also change dramatically as it scales up its
operations in each business segment. Any shortfall in the Company’s revenues
would have a direct impact on its operating results going forward and these
fluctuations could negatively affect the value of common stock in a manner
unrelated to the Company’s long-term operating performance.
We
could experience seasonal and cyclical factors including but not limited to
economy, stock market conditions, and geo-political risks on our
business.
The
Company believes that investor relations budget and advertising sales generally
tend to be limited during economic downturn, recession, bear market, decline
in
consumer confidence and increase in geo-political risks. Financial media
industry follows the same seasonal patterns as those in the traditional media;
the Company may experience lower revenues subject to deteriorating economic
and
market conditions. Furthermore, traffic levels on the Company’s web site
typically fluctuate with the occurrence of significant events in the business
and financial news, such as fluctuations in the stock markets, changes in
geo-political situations, major news and events related to business, companies
that could cause changes in the Company’s audience size.
There
is intense competition for web-based business and financial content and the
Company may not be able to compete successfully.
Many
web
sites compete for consumers' and advertisers' attention and spending,
particularly in the business and financial information and news area. The
Company expects this competition to continue to increase. The Company competes
for investor relation campaign, advertisers, users, and content providers with
many types of companies:
Publishers
and distributors of traditional media, including television, radio and print,
such as The WallStreet Journal, CNN and CNBC; general purpose consumer online
services such as America Online and Microsoft Network; Online services or web
sites targeted to business, finance and investing needs, such as TheStreet.com
and Motley Fool; and web retrieval and other web "portal" companies, such as
Excite, Infoseek, Lycos, Yahoo! and America Online.
Increased
competition could result in price reductions, reduced margins, or loss of market
share, any of which would adversely affect the Company’s business.
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We
will need to establish and maintain strategic relationships with other web
sites
to attract users, advertisers, and content.
The
Company depends on establishing and maintaining distribution relationships
with
high-traffic web sites for a significant portion of our traffic. There is
intense competition for placements on these sites, and the Company may not
be
able to enter into such relationships on commercially reasonable terms or at
all. Even if the Company enters into distribution relationships with these
web
sites, they themselves may not attract significant numbers of users. Therefore,
the Company’s web site may not receive additional users from these
relationships. Moreover, the Company may have to pay significant fees to
establish these relationships.
Occasionally
the Company enters into agreements with advertisers, content providers or other
high traffic web sites that require us to exclusively feature these parties
in
certain sections of the Company’s web site. Existing and future exclusivity
arrangements may prevent the Company from entering into other content
agreements, advertising or sponsorship arrangements, or other strategic
relationships. Many companies that the Company pursues for a strategic
relationship also offer competing services. As a result, these competitors
may
be reluctant to enter into strategic relationships with the Company. The
Company’s business could be adversely affected if the Company does not establish
and maintain additional strategic relationships on commercially reasonable
terms
or if any of the Company’s strategic relationships do not result in increased
use of its web site.
We
are significantly influenced by our officers, directors and entities affiliated
with them.
In
the
aggregate, ownership of Financial Media Group, Inc. shares by management
represents approximately 67% of issued and outstanding shares of common stock.
These shareholders, if acting together, will be able to significantly influence
all matters requiring approval by shareholders, including the election of
directors and the approval of mergers or other business combinations
transactions. The Company’s future performance is dependent on the ability to
retain key personnel. The Company’s performance is substantially dependent on
the performance of senior management and key technical personnel. In particular,
the Company's success depends on the continued efforts of its senior management
team.
The
loss of the services of any of its executive officers or other key employees
could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, results of
operations and financial condition.
Future
success also depends on the continuing ability to retain and attract highly
qualified technical, editorial, and managerial personnel. The Company
anticipates that the number of employees will increase in the next 12 months.
Wages for managerial and technical employees are increasing and are expected
to
continue to increase in the foreseeable future due to the competitive nature
of
this job market. The Company has experienced difficulty from time to time in
attracting the personnel necessary to support the growth of its business, and
there can be no assurance that it will not experience similar difficulty in
the
future. The inability to attract and retain the technical and managerial
personnel necessary to support the growth of its business could have a material
adverse effect upon the Company's business, results of operations and financial
condition.
The
Company depends on our direct sales force to sell advertising on our Web
site.
The
Company has created its own internal sales force. Presently the sales group
has
thirteen (13) members. The Company depends on its sales force to sell
advertising on its Web site. This involves a number of risks, such as a)
t hese
sales personnel have only worked for the Company for a short period of time;
b)
the Company needs to further increase the size of its sales force; c) its
ability to hire, retain, integrate and motivate additional sales and sales
support personnel; d) the length of time it takes new sales personnel to become
productive; and, e) the competition the Company faces from other companies
in hiring and retaining sales personnel.
The
Company depends on advertisers from the financial industry and may not succeed
in attracting advertisers from other industries.
Publicly
traded companies have accounted for the substantial majority of the Company’s
advertising revenues. The Company will need to sell advertising to customers
outside our client base in order to increase its revenues. To date, relatively
few advertisers from industries other than publicly traded companies and
financial industries have devoted a significant portion of their advertising
budgets to web advertising. If the Company does not attract advertisers from
other industries, its business could be adversely affected.
The
Company systems may not be able to accommodate increases in the number of users
of the Company’s services.
In
the
past, the Company’s Web site has experienced significant increases in traffic
when there is noteworthy business or financial news stories. In addition, the
number of the Company’s users has continued to increase over time as the Company
continues to seek further increases in its user base. Consequently, the
Company’s Web site must accommodate a high volume of traffic and deliver
frequently updated information. The Company’s Web site has in the past and may
in the future experience slower response times or other problems for a variety
of reasons.
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The
Company’s web site could experience disruptions or interruptions in service due
to the failure or delay in the transmission or receipt of this information.
In
addition, the Company’s users depend on Internet service providers, online
service providers and other web site operators for access to the Company’s Web
site. Each of them has experienced significant outages in the past, and could
experience outages, delays and other difficulties due to system failures
unrelated to the Company’s systems. These types of occurrences could cause users
to perceive the Company’s Web site as not functioning properly and therefore
cause them to use other methods to obtain their business and financial news
and
other information.
If
the Company does not develop new and enhanced services and features for its
Web
site, the Company may not be able to attract and retain a sufficient number
of
users.
The
Company believes that its Web site will be more attractive to advertisers if
the
Company develops a larger audience comprised of demographically favorable users.
Accordingly, the Company intends to introduce additional or enhanced services
in
the future in order to retain its current users and attract new users. If the
Company introduces a service that is not favorably received, the current users
may not continue using the Company’s service as frequently. New users could also
choose a competitive service over the Company’s.
The
Company may also experience difficulties that could delay or prevent the Company
from introducing new services. Furthermore, these services may contain errors
that are discovered after the services are introduced. The Company may need
to
significantly modify the design of these services on its Web site to correct
these errors. The Company’s business could be adversely affected if it
experiences difficulties in introducing new services or if users do not accept
these new services.
The
Company needs and may be unable to obtain additional funding on satisfactory
terms, which could dilute its shareholders or impose burdensome financial
restrictions on its business.
The
supplementary development of the Company’s product offerings will require a
commitment of substantial funds. The Company’s future capital requirements will
depend on the costs of its research and development programs for the continuance
of updating the Company’s services.
The
Company will need to raise substantial additional capital to fund its future
operations. The Company cannot be certain that additional financing will be
available on acceptable terms, or at all. In recent years, it has been difficult
for companies to raise capital due to a variety of factors, which may or may
not
continue. To the extent the Company raises additional capital through the sale
of equity securities; the ownership position of our existing stockholders could
be substantially diluted. If additional funds are raised through the issuance
of
preferred stock or debt securities, these securities are likely to have rights,
preferences, and privileges senior to the Company’s common stockholders.
Fluctuating interest rates could also increase the costs of any debt financing
the Company may obtain.
Failure
to successfully address ongoing liquidity requirements will have a material
adverse effect on the Company’s business. If the Company is unable to obtain
additional capital on acceptable terms when needed, the Company may be required
to take actions that harm its business and the Company’s ability to achieve
positive cash flows in the future, including possibly the surrender of its
rights to some technologies or product opportunities, delaying the Company’s
development strategies or curtailing or even ceasing operations.
The
Company’s failure to manage growth effectively could impair its
business.
The
Company’s business strategy envisions a period of rapid growth that may put a
strain on its administrative, operational resources and funding requirements.
The Company’s ability to effectively manage growth will require them to continue
to expand the capabilities of its operational and management systems and to
attract, train, manage and retain qualified editors, technicians, salespersons
and other personnel. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able
to
do so, particularly if losses continue and the Company is unable to obtain
sufficient financing. If the Company is unable to successfully manage growth,
its business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could
be
adversely affected.
The
Company does not anticipate paying cash dividends on its common
stock.
The
Company does not anticipate paying any cash dividends on the common stock in
the
foreseeable future
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR INDUSTRY
The
Company depends on the continued growth in the use of the web, particularly
for
financial news and information.
The
Company’s business depends on consumers continuing to increase their use of the
web for obtaining news and financial information as well as for conducting
commercial transactions. The rapid growth and use of the Internet is a recent
phenomenon. As a result this acceptance and use may not continue to develop
at
historical rates. Web usage may be inhibited for a number of reasons, such
as:
Inadequate
network infrastructure; security concerns; inconsistent quality of service;
and
availability of cost-effective, high-speed service.
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If
web
usage grows, the Internet infrastructure may not be able to support the demands
placed on it by this growth or its performance and reliability may decline.
In
addition, web sites have experienced interruptions in their service as a result
of outages and other delays occurring throughout the Internet network
infrastructure. If these outages or delays frequently occur in the future,
web
usage, as well as usage of our web site, could grow more slowly or
decline.
The
Company depends on the sale of advertisements on its Web site and if web
advertising does not become accepted, the Company’s business would be
harmed.
The
Company expects to derive a substantial amount of its revenues from advertising
for the foreseeable future. No standards have been widely accepted to measure
the effectiveness of web advertising. If such standards do not develop, existing
advertisers may not continue their current levels of web advertising.
Furthermore, advertisers that have traditionally relied upon other advertising
media may be reluctant to advertise on the web. Advertisers that already have
invested substantial resources in other advertising methods may be reluctant
to
adopt a new strategy. The Company’s business would be adversely affected if the
market for web advertising fails to develop or develops more slowly than
expected. Different pricing models are used to sell advertising on the web.
It
is difficult to predict which, if any, will emerge as the industry standard.
This makes it difficult to project our future advertising rates and revenues.
For example, advertising rates based on the number of "click throughs," or
user
requests for additional information made by clicking on the advertisement,
instead of rates based solely on the number of impressions, or times an
advertisement is displayed, could adversely affect our revenues because
impression-based advertising comprises a substantial majority of our current
advertising revenues. The Company’s advertising revenues could be adversely
affected if it is unable to adapt to new forms of web advertising. Moreover,
"filter" software programs that limit or prevent advertising from being
delivered to a web user's computer are available. Widespread adoption of this
software could adversely affect the commercial viability of web
advertising.
Government
regulation and legal uncertainties relating to the web could hinder the
popularity of the worldwide web.
There
are
currently few laws or regulations that specifically regulate communications
or
commerce on the web. However, laws and regulations may be adopted in the future
that address issues such as user privacy, pricing, and the characteristics
and
quality of products and services. For example, the telecommunications act sought
to prohibit transmitting certain types of information and content over the
web.
Several telecommunications companies have petitioned the federal communications
commission to regulate Internet service providers and online services providers
in a manner similar to long distance telephone carriers and to impose access
fees on these companies. This could increase the cost of transmitting data
over
the Internet. Moreover, it may take years to determine the extent to which
existing laws relating to issues such as property ownership, libel and personal
privacy are applicable to the web. Any new laws or regulations relating to
the
web could adversely affect the Company’s business.
Web
security concerns could hinder Internet commerce.
The
need
to securely transmit confidential information over the Internet has been a
significant barrier to electronic commerce and communications over the web.
Any
well-publicized compromise of security could deter more people from using the
web or from using it to conduct transactions that involve transmitting
confidential information, such as stock trades or purchases of goods or
services. Since many of the Company’s advertisers seek to advertise on the
Company’s Web site to encourage people to use the web to purchase goods or
services, the Company’s business could be adversely affected. The Company may
also incur significant costs to protect against the threat of security breaches
or to alleviate problems caused by such breaches.
The
Company could face liability for the information displayed on its Web site.
The
Company may be subjected to claims for defamation, negligence, and copyright
or
trademark infringement or based on other theories relating to the information
the Company publishes on its web site. These types of claims have been brought,
sometimes successfully, against online services as well as other print
publications in the past. The Company could also be subjected to claims based
upon the content that is accessible from its Web site through links to other
web
sites.
EMPLOYEES
As
of
August 31, 2006, we employed 30 people on a full-time basis. Management consists
of four (4) people, the sales department consists of thirteen (13) people,
the
editorial staff consists of four (4) people, our technology department consists
of four (4) people and we have an administration staff of five (5)
people.
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Financial Media Grp (FNGP) - Description of business
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