Broadband Internet Group's (BIG) extreme sports
"effort," Bluetorch, has become "the latest digital-media
company to downsize," according to Tim Swanson of DAILY
VARIETY, who writes that the company "pinkslipped" 64 of its
roughly 140 employees, "primarily" from print and Web
production departments. But sales, marketing and finance
positions "were also affected." Bluetorch had operated a
daily, one-hour TV show on FSN called "Bluetorch TV," an
Internet portal, bluetorch.com, print magazines and a live-
events division. BIG said that the layoffs "were a result
of a refocusing of Bluetorch's business plan," as its
"growing TV and Interactive TV endeavors are being viewed as
a quicker path to profitability than Web site and free print
magazines." The company indicated that its Web site "will
be scaled back but will continue to support the TV show."
Live events will also continue, but Bluetorch "killed all of
its print titles" -- Wave Action, Pit Bodyboard, Wakeboard
and MX Rage -- effective this past Sunday. Skate and
Swerve, two magazines with releases planned for later this
year, "will also be dropped" (DAILY VARIETY, 9/12).
