What Would Anderson Cooper Have Read at Age 8? News for Kids Designed by Kids

    /24-7PressRelease/ - PASADENA, CA, August 28, 2006 - In an age of seemingly withering news content and lackluster interest in the usual media formats, two women, Gina de Rin and Risa Peris, seem to be taking the proverbial bull by the horns and reinvigorating both - except for kids. Zoomwire, Inc., founded in 2006 by Gina de Rin, is a media/educational company focused on providing educational based products and services to kids. Zoomwire, Inc. is launching - Zoomwire - a complimentary monthly newspaper for kids written by kids starting in October. Zoomwire will be distributed throughout elite neighborhoods and business saturated areas of West Los Angeles and Pasadena.

Gina de Rin, a mother of three, developed the idea while publisher of two community-based newspapers in Northeast Los Angeles. As a mother, she wanted to provide her children with learning tools and reading material. She wanted her eldest son, Simon, to be able to read the newspapers she produced. On day she thought, "why not write one for him?" That question prompted a year long development process.

Risa Peris, who will be Editor of the newspaper, remarks that "reading habits begin at a young age. On practically every street corner there is free reading material for adults but none for kids." As a former English teacher with the Los Angeles Unified School District, she saw Gina de Rin's vision as an ideal way of addressing educational problems and issues and presented a way of using the newspaper as a potential learning tool for kids in and out of the classroom.

Zoomwire will zone in on kids between the ages of eight through seventeen. Both Gina de Rin and Risa Peris understand that the newspaper will have to be interesting and edgy enough for kids to pick it up - hopefully repeatedly. They settled, on what they believe, is an ideal compromise. Fifty percent of the content will be educational based and aligned with California State Standards. For instance, they will have a History Buster column that will explore ideas such as the myths of Columbus and the Bubonic Plague. There will also be a math and science section called Galileo's Corner that will discuss such issues as the basics of relativity and the Pythagorean Theorem. Additionally, Gina de Rin and Risa Peris have developed an Art Scene column that will partner with Los Angeles museums. However, interspersed between these columns will be the latest on Lindsay Lohan, experiences of snowboarding and reviews of movies, restaurants and Gamer's Lounges. "The point is to get the kids reading," says Gina de Rin.

The other interesting aspect of Zoomwire is that the reporters will be kids in the same age zone as the newspaper targets. The idea of having kid writers is a unique concept. However, the reasoning behind this is far from being a marketing stunt. As Gina de Rin can attest from several years experience with her kids - kids are fascinated by their peers. Also, Risa Peris claims that kid writers ensure that the material is "cognitively graspable and understandable to their peers."

Zoomwire will launch in October and will be distributed through schools, libraries, community centers, retail stores, cinemas and restaurants throughout West Los Angeles neighborhoods and Pasadena.

For more information:
Gina de Rin, CEO
310-415-1194
[email protected]

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