Powell's in the Press

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Kim Sutton 800.878.7323 kim@powells.com

Powells.com Sponsors Live Wire
Online bookseller backs Oregon Public Broadcasting juggernaut

April 20, 2006, Portland, OR — Powells.com today announced a foray into local radio — sort of. The Oregon-based online bookseller has signed on as an official sponsor of Live Wire, a radio show featuring music, interviews, and sketch comedy, recorded live at the Aladdin Theater in Portland and broadcast on Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB). The sponsorship provides funding at a time when the locally produced, monthly radio program aims to secure national distribution as a weekly show.

Live Wire's smart, irreverent tone shares a sensibility with Powell's award-winning web site, explains company president Michael Powell, who added, "The sponsorship builds on our effort to cultivate a customer base through a variety of media."

Since September, Powells.com has been attracting attention across online communities with its introduction of the Bookcast (guests to date include Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, and rock band Queens of the Stone Age in a live performance at the independent bookseller's flagship store) and a widely praised bookseller blog, showcasing commentary from staff members alongside the likes of New Yorker contributors Susan Orlean ("The Orchid Thief") and Elizabeth Kolbert ("Field Notes from a Catastrophe").

Live Wire features at least one prominent literary figure in each performance, and its upcoming Wordstock Extravaganza (April 22) will be devoted to guests from Portland’s largest book-related event of the year.

"I heart Live Wire," attests Dave Weich, director of marketing and business development at Powells.com. "In the last few episodes I've laughed at Dan Savage, boogied to Storm and the Balls, and listened to the screenwriter of Walk the Line talk about his relationship with Johnny Cash. We're proud to be associated with the show."

About Powells.com
An independent bookseller based in Portland, Oregon, Powells.com offers the inventory of six Powell's brick-and-mortar stores and five warehouses – approximately four million books in all. Online since 1994, Powells.com has developed a unique business model based on a broad inventory of new, used, rare, and out-of print books, a pricing structure that often undercuts competitors, and the most respected book content on the web. The award-winning site features timely content from the Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, the New Republic, the Christian Science Monitor, and others, plus staff picks, monthly contests, and exclusive author interviews and essays. Internet Retailer magazine crowned Powells.com one of the 50 best online retailers (the only brick-and-mortar store on the list), explaining, "Powells.com has the feel of a neighborhood bookstore staffed by avid readers."