An online search engine and cuttings service hits the net today, hoping to cash in on the proliferation of media sources on the web.

The tool - customised for companies, public relations groups and government departments - will allow users to go online to find out quickly what is being said about them or their clients in the press or on radio and television.

Bmcnews.com, which is being launched today by the Broadcast Monitoring Company, claims to be the first high speed service that can deliver newspaper cuttings, radio and television clips and internet articles directly to clients' computers.

"Clients will be able to receive online a totally comprehensive account of what has been written or said about them or their industry in print, on the internet, on radio or television internationally," said Dan Levin, chairman of BMC.

The world of media monitoring is growing fast because of the exponential growth in media content from new radio and television channels and the internet. BMC already employs some 500 people.

The online version of the monitoring system provides a search facility where every word is scanned and key words picked up. The system is "intelligent" enough to connect terms where the search consists of more than one word.

The system can also provide succinct summaries of news. But people will not become entirely redundant because of the advent of this system, John Gordon, chief executive of the company, says.

The computer is not intelligent enough to deal with issues so there is a need for a dual service - skilled people who understand sectors and concepts will have to work alongside the new system.