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	<title>MediaMemo &#187; FriendFinder Networks</title>
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	<link>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com</link>
	<description>by Peter Kafka</description>
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		<title>What Kind of Car Do Investors Get With the FriendFinder Porn IPO?</title>
		<link>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081227/what-kind-of-car-do-investors-get-with-the-friendfinder-porn-ipo/</link>
		<comments>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081227/what-kind-of-car-do-investors-get-with-the-friendfinder-porn-ipo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 27 Dec 2008 18:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Kafka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[MediaMemo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peter Kafka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andrew Conru]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boca Raton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ebay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ferrari]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FriendFinder Networks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social networks]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=2503</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Anyone who buys into the FriendFinder Networks IPO won't just be buying a piece of a debt-ridden, money-losing collection of porn sites and social networks. They'll also be buying a piece of a car the company bought from one of its founders, and now values at $95,000. Readers tell me it's a Ferrari Modena.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Anyone who buys into the FriendFinder Networks IPO won&#8217;t just be buying a piece of a <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081224/heres-the-tech-ipo-youve-been-looking-for-a-debt-ridden-collection-of-porn-sites-and-social-netowkrs/">debt-ridden, money-losing collection of porn sites and social networks</a>. They&#8217;ll also be <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081226/friendfinder-ipo-invest-460-million-get-a-95000-car/">buying a piece of a car the company bought from one of its founders</a>, and now values at $95,000.</p>
<p>I still haven&#8217;t heard back from FriendFinder Networks or Andrew Conru, who appears to be the founder who sold his company his car in 2006. But MediaMemo readers tell me the car in question is a Ferrari 360 Modena, similar to this model on sale, via eBay (EBAY), at <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ferrari-360-Modena-2001-FERRARI-360-COUPE-ONLY-765-MONTH-WITH-25K-DOWN_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trkparmsZ72Q3a1163Q7c66Q3a2Q7c65Q3a12Q7c39Q3a1Q7c240Q3a1308Q7c301Q3a1Q7c293Q3a1Q7c294Q3a50QQ_trksidZp3286Q2ec0Q2em14QQhashZitem220332950350QQitemZ220332950350QQptZUSQ5fCarsQ5fTrucks">Excel Auto of Boca Raton, Fla</a>. (click image to enlarge):</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/ferrari-modena-florida.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2504" title="ferrari-modena-florida" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/ferrari-modena-florida.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="262" /></a></p>
<p>I thought this car might actually be the same one that FriendFinder owns, since it says the car in question is being held for sale, and because FriendFinder is also based in Boca Raton. But a manager at Excel tells me that&#8217;s not the case.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I need to note that while I appreciate the tips MediaMemo readers have passed along, they remain unconfirmed. So it could be that FriendFinder owns a different kind of car that it purchased for $125,000 two years ago and now values at $95,000.</p>
<p>The bigger question: Why would FriendFinder buy a Ferrari (or any other kind of car) from its founder a couple of years ago? And what has it done with it since? Did employees of the month get to take it for a spin? Has it been mothballed? Did it sit parked in front of the company&#8217;s HQ as an incentive to work harder and longer?</p>
<p>(UPDATE: A <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081229/the-mystery-of-the-adult-friendfinder-ferrari-sort-of-solved/">partial answer</a> &#8212; the car was supposed to have been given away as a contest prize.)</p>
<p>As always, if you&#8217;ve got thoughts on the matter, you can comment below, or reach me directly at <a href="mailto:peter@allthingsd.com">peter@allthingsd.com</a>. If you want to be completely anonymous, you can use the blind tip box <a href="http://allthingsd.com/tips/">here</a>.</p>
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		<item>
		<title>FriendFinder IPO: Invest $460 Million, Get a $95,000 Car</title>
		<link>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081226/friendfinder-ipo-invest-460-million-get-a-95000-car/</link>
		<comments>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081226/friendfinder-ipo-invest-460-million-get-a-95000-car/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:53:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Kafka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Peter Kafka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bentley]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[car]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ferrari]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ford Mustang]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FriendFinder Networks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lamborghini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[porn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Porsche]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wall Street Journal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=2481</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Potential investors in FriendFinder Networks don't just get to own a piece of a debt-ridden collection of porn sites and social networks. They also get part ownership of a $95,000 car. But exactly what kind of $95,000 car are they getting?]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I only had enough time to assess the big picture when I wrote about the <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081224/heres-the-tech-ipo-youve-been-looking-for-a-debt-ridden-collection-of-porn-sites-and-social-netowkrs/">FriendFinder Network IPO</a> earlier this week: Money-losing porn/social-network company drowning in debt, needs public investors to bail it out.</p>
<p>But the FriendFinder <a href="http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451951/000139843208000390/i10357.htm">prospectus</a> may turn out to have multiple Christmas gifts for those who work their way through it. For instance, <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2008/12/24/the-friendfinder-ipo-filing-just-the-naughty-bits/?mod=djemTECH">Nick Wingfield</a>, my corporate cousin at The Wall Street Journal, dug up this gem under &#8220;related party transactions&#8221;:</p>
<blockquote><p>In another interesting tidbit, the company says [predecessor company] Various purchased an automobile from the founder of Various for $125,000 on October 27, 2006 (the founder in question appears to be Andrew Conru.) The company doesn’t say what kind of car it is or why it bought it, but it doesn’t appear to have gotten a very good deal. The filing says the vehicle is currently &#8216;being held for sale and in 2006 was written down to its estimated net realizable value of $95,000.&#8217; A FriendFinder spokesman didn’t immediately return a call for comment.&#8221;</p></blockquote>
<p>I&#8217;ve also lobbed queries in to Andrew Conru and to FriendFinder&#8217;s corporate HQ, but haven&#8217;t heard back. But perhaps MediaMemo readers who are more autocentric than I am (I&#8217;ve owned one car in my life&#8211;a 1994 Toyota Tercel with vinyl seats and no air conditioning) can help answer one of my questions: What kind of used car can you get for $95,000?</p>
<p>Please share your thoughts with us via the comments section below; if you find the registration process too onerous, you can leave an anonymous comment via the <a href="http://allthingsd.com/tips/">tip box</a>. (UPDATE: Some readers tell me it&#8217;s a <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081227/what-kind-of-car-do-investors-get-with-the-friendfinder-porn-ipo/">Ferrari 360 Modena</a>).</p>
<p>In the meantime, I&#8217;ve made my own rudimentary attempt to gauge the market for $95,000 cars: A trip to eBay&#8217;s (EBAY) Motors showroom. Here&#8217;s a sampling of what&#8217;s available in the <a href="http://motors.shop.ebay.com/items/Cars-Trucks___W0QQ_flnZ1QQ_trksidZp4506Q2ec0Q2em1QQ_verZ4QQ_madZ1?_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_udlo=90%2C000&amp;_udhi=95%2C000&amp;_fcsfc=0&amp;_fcsfc=0">$90,000 to $95,000 range </a>today (click on each image to enlarge).</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/continental-flying-spur-jpeg.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2482 alignnone" title="continental-flying-spur-jpeg" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/continental-flying-spur-jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="233" /></a></p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2006-Bentley-Continental-GT-Flying-Spur-w-14k-miles_W0QQitemZ270319218405QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item270319218405&amp;_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&amp;_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308">2006 Bentley Continental Spur</a>. Starting bid: $95,000</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/ferrari.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2484" title="ferrari" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/ferrari.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="232" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2003-Ferrari-575-F1-Blk-Tan-only-8k-mls-Euro-Car_W0QQitemZ220332379473QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item220332379473&amp;_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&amp;_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308">2003 Ferrari 575</a>. Starting bid: $95,000</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/porsche-911-black.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2487" title="porsche-911-black" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/porsche-911-black.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="262" /></a><br />
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___2007-PORSCHE-911-CARRERA-CPE-TURBO_W0QQitemZ270320057935QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item270320057935&amp;_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&amp;_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1308">2007 Porsche 911</a>. Starting bid: $95,000</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/vintage-ford-mustang.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2489" title="vintage-ford-mustang" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/vintage-ford-mustang.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="262" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___1970-302-BOSS-TRUE-SURVIVOR-ONLY-31k-ORIG-MI-RARE_W0QQitemZ170289477254QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item170289477254&amp;_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&amp;_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318#">1970 Ford Mustang Boss</a>. Starting bid: $90,000</p>
<p><a rel="lightbox" href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/silver-lamborghini.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2491" title="silver-lamborghini" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/silver-lamborghini.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="262" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cars-Trucks___TUBI-REAR-CAMERA-DVD-10K-IN-UPGRADES-E-GEAR-NO-RESERVE_W0QQitemZ150316982845QQddnZCarsQ20Q26Q20TrucksQQddiZ2282QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item150316982845&amp;_trksid=p4506.c0.m245&amp;_trkparms=72%3A727|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318">2004 Lamborghini Gallardo</a>. Starting bid: $95,000</p>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Here's The Tech IPO You've Been Looking For: A Debt-Ridden Collection of Porn Sites And Social Networks</title>
		<link>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081224/heres-the-tech-ipo-youve-been-looking-for-a-debt-ridden-collection-of-porn-sites-and-social-netowkrs/</link>
		<comments>http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081224/heres-the-tech-ipo-youve-been-looking-for-a-debt-ridden-collection-of-porn-sites-and-social-netowkrs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:21:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Peter Kafka</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Peter Kafka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adult FriendFinder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Daniel C. Staton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FriendFinder Networks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IPO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marc H. Bell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pornography]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=2440</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What kind of tech and media company tries to go public in this economy? A tech and media company with no other options. Meet FriendFinder Networks, which needs to raise a lot of money very quickly.]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/adult-friendfinder.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-2441" title="adult-friendfinder" src="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/files/2008/12/adult-friendfinder.png" alt="" width="250" height="259" /></a>What kind of tech and media company tries to go public in this economy? A tech and media company with no other options.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s the story behind yesterday&#8217;s filing by <a href="http://adultfriendfinder.com/">FriendFinder Networks Inc.</a>, a collection of porn sites and adult networks that wants to raise $460 million via the public markets.</p>
<p>Given that the media industry is in the dumps, the tech IPO market was closed even before the economy&#8217;s collapse and that the prospects of floating any kind of offering in the public markets is dicey at best, it would be hard to find a worse time to try this route. But FriendFinder doesn&#8217;t have much choice: It has very little cash and a lot of debt.</p>
<p>The details: The money-losing company has $43 million in cash, and $420 million in short-term debt. Some of that debt is already in default and the company has breached loan covenants for some loans as well. Presumably the company can&#8217;t find anyone to lend it that much, so it&#8217;s hoping that the equity markets step up.</p>
<p>If investors bail it out, almost all of the IPO proceeds will go to paying down that debt. If not&#8230; well, that &#8220;could have a material adverse effect on our ability to continue as a going concern.&#8221;</p>
<p>Anyone still thinking about helping out Daniel C. Staton and Marc H. Bell, who run the company and own more than half of its equity? Read the <a href="http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1451951/000139843208000390/i10357.htm">full registration statement here</a>.</p>
<p>[UPDATE: <a href="http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081224/heres-the-tech-ipo-youve-been-looking-for-a-debt-ridden-collection-of-porn-sites-and-social-netowkrs/">FriendFinder investors get a bonus</a>: Partial ownership of a $95,000 car the company bought from a founder a couple years ago for $125,000.]</p>
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