SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., - August 23, 1999 - CNET, Inc. (NASDAQ: CNET), the source for computers and technology, today announced that Gina Smith has joined CNET Television to co-host CNET News.com, CNET's new show for CNBC, premiering in October. Gina Smith, one of the best-known technology journalists will join CNET veterans Richard Hart and Hari Sreenivasan, to co-host a one-hour weekly series about the Internet economy.

"We're elated and proud to welcome Gina to CNET Television," stated Dan Sexton, Senior Vice President of Television. "Gina is an extremely talented journalist that has been covering computer trends and news for over 10 years; she will be a welcome addition to the team."

CNET News.com will be produced by CNET in San Francisco for CNBC to air on Saturdays and Sundays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM EST beginning in October 1999. The new program will be CNET's sixth technology-related television series in production, joining its award-winning programs CNET Central, The Web, The New Edge, Cool Tech and TV.COM.

Gina Smith
Gina Smith joins CNET after serving as Technology Correspondent for ABC News, where she covered tech news, trends and analysis for such ABC broadcasts as 20/20, Good Morning America, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, Nightline and This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts. For eight years, Gina was the host of two radio talk shows -- On Computers, and Connected with Gina Smith, a three-hour radio call-in show for the ABC Radio Network. In addition, Gina is an acclaimed print journalist. Her award-winning "Inside Silicon Valley" column appears in the San Francisco Examiner and Chronicle Sunday Edition, as does her syndicated high-tech advice column, "The Help File." She also writes a syndicated column for Access, a Sunday magazine insert that reaches 10 million readers each week. Gina's book, "101 Computer Answers You Need to Know," is on bookstands now. She is relocating to San Francisco from New York City.

About CNET Television
CNET Television programming, which airs on USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel and in national syndication, as well as in 59 countries around the world, reaches more than 7 million viewers each week in the United States alone. CNET launched its first program, CNET Central, in April 1995 and has since become the largest producer of technology-related television programming in the world.

About CNET
CNET, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) is at the leading edge of media companies, producing a branded Internet network and television programming for both targeted and general audiences. Online and on television, CNET is the leading authority on computers, the Internet and digital technologies. CNET's network serves millions of users each day. CNET television programming airs on USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel and in national syndication, as well 59 foreign countries. CNET effectively owns 40 percent of Snap.com, a search and navigation service for all Internet users, co-owned by NBC. CNET also owns stakes in Vignette Corporation, a manufacturer of premier Web publishing software, and Beyond.com, the world's leading online software reseller.