As usual, NATPE organizers last week were placing their bets that the Jan. 22-25 conference in Las Vegas will be its strongest ever. They say the show has 25% more exhibitors signed on than at this time last year, and attendance should be right around 20,000.

New media companies are largely fueling NATPE's growth on the floor, but here's the amazing part: About
half
of the dotcoms that came last year aren't even in business anymore. Says NATPE's Bruce Johansen: "A company may go down the tubes, but it's been replaced by five others."