Does Anyone Know what TMZ Stands For?

Celebrity news website, TMZ.com, has been delivering the latest celebrity news and gossip for nearly a decade.  While many people are familiar with the site and what it has to offer, many people do not know what the infamous initials represent.  While most would speculate that the website’s name would have something to do with media, the letters TMZ actually stand for “thirty mile zone,” in reference to the “studio zone” within a 30 mile radius of West Beverly Boulevard and and North La Cienega Boulevard in Las Angeles, California.  During the 20th century many Hollywood filmmakers preferred to film movies and television shows within the 30 mile zone cut down on expenses.  Thanks to filming and editing techniques, it was easy to manipulate the footage to look like it was shot elsewhere.  This system was successful due to the lack of experience filmmaking personnel outside of this area.  Currently, the thirty mile zone is used to determine rates and rules for union workers.

While the connection between TMZ.com and the thirty mile zone are unclear, the website has carved out its own name and it’s own place in celebrity history.  Founded in 2005 by America Online (AOL) and Telepictures Productions, TMZ.com’s purpose was to “further feed the current American obsession with celebrities.”  Before the site’s official launch, Mike Shield’s of MediaWeek.com also noted that  “the site also boasts of an expansive collection of archived star photos and videos, making it possible for fans to “trace changing hairlines and waistlines of their favorites performers over the years”.  Now, almost 10 years later, it seems that TMZ has followed through with its original plan.  The website has provided celebrity news to readers across the world and has often been the first outlet to report on breaking celebrity news, and most notably, TMZ was the first to report he death of Michael Jackson in 2009.

TMZ’s managing editor, Harvey Levin, has stated that the website does not pay for interviews and/or stories, Levin has reveled; however, that on occasion TMZ has paid sources for leads on stories.  While some readers may be skeptical of some of TMZ’s content, Levin insists that “everything is researched and vetted for accuracy.”

(Photo illustration by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

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