Either way, POP.com will join the online entertainment race to produce a moneymaker before running out of cash. At the same time, it's doggedly pursuing other companies, all to no avail. One suitor's chief said the financial offer was bad; another claimed the money was fine but there was no creative incentive for relinquishing independence. No one from POP.com would say why the company wants to bring one of these smaller content sites under its sway.
POP.com head Ken Wong did offer this prepared statement: ''This is a new medium in which there are no established rules for how or when to launch or build a company. We would rather take the time to do it in a way that works for us rather than rush to meet external expectations. At this time we are very pleased with what we have already accomplished.'' It's an honest-enough answer from an exec who's probably experiencing an unfair amount of pressure to perform given the high-profile nature of the task. And it's not like some of POP.com's founders haven't been here before: DreamWorks SKG faced similar criticism when it started, and it took four years before that company produced an Oscar-nominated movie (1998's Saving Private Ryan) and could safely nyah-nyah all the naysayers.
Still, none of the spin-offs have fared as well as the film division: DreamWorks Interactive failed to produce a top-selling game and was acquired by Electronic Arts; DreamWorks Records doesn't have a consistent chart-topping act; and DreamWorks TV has only one demi-hit (Spin City) to its name. POP.com is still going to make a big splash when it does open. But after months of futzing around, it may end up tasting mighty flat.
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