Unable to secure additional funding to keep its content operations running, New York-based Automatic Media, Inc. said it would immediately close shop.

A note posted on the company's corporate site said simply: "AS OF JUNE 8, 2001, Automatic Media, Inc. has ceased operations due to an inability to secure additional financing."

Chief executive officer Lee deBoer declined comment at press time. A source close to the company said the four content plays under the Automatic Media umbrella would be put up for sale.

The sites affected include FEED, Suck, Alt.culture and the recently launched Plastic Web log. Of those, two were recently nominated for Webby awards under the Print/Zines category.

Automatic Media raised $4 million from Lycos Ventures, the venture capital arm of Lycos; Advance Publications, which owns Conde Nast; and Paladin, a British venture capital group.