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Almost a year ago, I received an angry e-mail from a reporter working for the European edition of DOD's Stars & Stripes newspaper. The reporter was concerned and upset about a press release from a company called iServed.com (now Stars & Stripes Omnimedia, Inc.). The press release announced the apparent acquisition of the Stars & Stripes and concurrent launch of an online edition.

After reading the press release, I visited the site in question. I did not like what I found.

In spite of what the misleading press release said, iServe's "Stars & Stripes" had absolutely no connection to the famous DOD European & Pacific newspapers that had been keeping our G.I.s informed for countless years. While there was a disclaimer of such on their web site, it was buried deep among their pages -- requiring several minutes of dedicated searching to find it. As a result, on May 6, 2000, I wrote Online Stars & Stripes is a Dot-Con.

A few days ago, I received a letter from Jack Colletti, Chairman and CEO of Stars & Stripes Omnimedia. Needless to say, Mr. Colletti was not entirely happy with my article.

He wrote, in part:

Along with his letter, Mr. Colletti included several recent issues of the paper, as well as a packet of PR material for Stars & Stripes Omnimedia.

In the interests of fairness, I decided to take another look. I was rather surprised at what I found.

First and foremost is branding. When I took my first look at Stars & Stripes Omnimedia last May, it appeared to be a shameful attempt to capitalize on the hard-earned reputation of the DOD version. Today, both their web site, and printed newspaper make it very clear that they are separate and distinct from the newspapers published by the Department of Defense.

In fact, it appears as if they've completely mended their fences with DOD. Stars & Stripes Omnimedia's newspaper enjoys newsstand distribution at 350 military commissaries and retail outlets. Stripes Jobs, a military transition guide published by the company, is distributed at 258 military transition classes and to countless bases for use in their transition programs. Stripes Family (formerly Validity Magazine) presents news and information of interest to military family members and is DOD-subsidized for distribution to Family Service Centers on military installations.

Stars & Stripes Onimedia has been at the forefront with hard-hitting editorials that have grabbed national media attention. Photo by Rod Powers

Most important -- the Stars & Stripes is a pretty darned good little newspaper. The issues are not gigantic (about 25-30 pages, published 26 times per year), but packed with original content I've not seen published elsewhere. The issues I reviewed had detailed articles and photos revolving around military history; current deployment news and events; information about veteran employment, education, & health issues; as well as articles about defense trends, base closings, and veteran events.

Throughout the last year, the Stars & Stripes has been at the forefront with hard-hitting editorials that grabbed national media attention. Some examples:

• May 22, 2000 - New evidence challenges massacre charges - No Gun Ri
• May 31, 2000 - Presidential Candidates Tread Lightly on Defense
• August 14, 2000 - Gulf War: Secret History (32 week series)
• September 11, 2000 - Experts Warn of Military Erosion as Marine Corps Grounds Much of Its Airborne Armada
• September 25, 2000 - Copter Collision Linked to Operational Temp, Deployments
• October 9, 2000 - Gulf War Illness: Distrust and the Nuremberg Code
• November 20, 2000 - USS Cole: A Victim of Bad Policy
• December 4, 2000 - Lost at Sea: Profile of a Military Overseas Voter

For only $19.00 per year, it's a pretty good buy.

On their web site, you'll find their latest top stories in the areas of news, history, military lifestyles, career information, and veteran affairs. Additionally, you can register and receive their weekly newsletter (Reveille).

Stars & Stripes Omnimedia also owns the Military Spouse Headquarters, a military family information site that is published and operated by military spouses. The site builds camaraderie by connecting military spouses worldwide and by delivering high quality information for key issues concerning the military family member.

I was also surprised to discover that Stars & Stripes Omnimedia has a weekly two-hour radio show. Launched in a strategic alliance with Veterans Radio Network, Inc., the show broadcasts to over three million listeners per week, on over 75 affiliate radio stations across 45 states.

I still do not like the way "Iserved.com" brought The Stars & Stripes into the World. But, to sum it up in a nutshell: You've come a long way, baby.

Author's Note: (Added, August 3, 2001: Stars & Stripes Omedia, Inc., has announced this month that they are filing for Chapter 7 Bankrupcy.)