<PAGE>   1
       As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 1997.

                                                           Registration No. 333-
================================================================================
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                ----------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                ----------------

                                 CMP MEDIA INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

              DELAWARE                                  11-2240940     
    (State or other jurisdiction                     (I.R.S. Employer  
  of incorporation or organization)                 Identification No.)

           600 COMMUNITY DRIVE                           11030  
           MANHASSET, NEW YORK                        (Zip Code)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)               

                                ----------------

                CMP MEDIA INC. DIRECTORS' STOCK COMPENSATION PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)

                                ----------------
                            ROBERT D. MARAFIOTI, ESQ.
                  Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel
                                 CMP Media Inc.
                               600 Community Drive
                            Manhasset, New York 11030
                     (Name and Address of agent for service)

                                ----------------

                     Telephone number of agent for service:
                                 (516) 562-5000

                                ----------------

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
====================================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed               Proposed
                                              maximum offering           maximum
      Title of security      Amount being         price per         aggregate offering          Amount of
       being registered      registered*           share**                price             registration fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                             <C>                <C>                   <C>                      <C> 
           Class A
        Common Stock,
        $.01 Par Value
          Per Share             35,000             $16.19                $566,650                 $172
====================================================================================================================
</TABLE>

* In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement also covers an indeterminate number of additional shares
which may be offered and issued in accordance with the Plan terms to prevent
dilution from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

** The maximum offering price per share is calculated pursuant to Rule 457(c)
and (h) using the average high and low prices of the security as of October 28,
1997 as reported in NASDAQ.

================================================================================

<PAGE>   2



                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

            CMP Media Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates, or will be
deemed to have incorporated, herein by reference the following documents:

            (1) The Company's Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the
Securities Act for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996.

            (2) The Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 1997.

            (3) The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock contained
in the Company's most recent Securities Exchange Act of 1934 registration
statement, including any amendment thereto or report filed for the purpose of
updating such description.

            (4) All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the
date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective
amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

None.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

            Section 102(b)(7) of the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware (the "DGCL"), provides that a corporation (in its original certificate
of incorporation or an amendment thereto) may eliminate or limit the personal
liability of a director (or certain persons who, pursuant to the provisions of
the certificate of incorporation, exercise or perform duties conferred or
imposed upon directors by the DGCL) to the corporation or its stockholders for
monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such
provisions shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any
breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders,
(ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional
misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL
(providing for liability of directors for unlawful payment of dividends or
unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any transaction from which
the director derived an improper personal benefit. Section 7.5 of the
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended (the "Certificate of
Incorporation"), limits the liability of directors thereof to the extent
permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL.

            Under Section 145 of the DGCL, in general, a corporation may
indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents against expenses
(including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement
actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or
proceeding brought by third parties to which they may be made parties by reason
of their being or having been directors, officers, employees or agents and shall
so indemnify such persons only if they acted in good faith and in a manner they
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no


<PAGE>   3



reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. Section 7.4 of the
Certificate of Incorporation gives the Company the power to indemnify its
officers, directors, employees and agents to the full extent permitted by
Delaware law.

            In addition, the CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock Compensation Plan
(the "Plan") provides for the indemnification of directors who serve on the
Plan's administrative committee and for indemnification of any employee, officer
or director who is allocated or delegated responsibility for administering or
interpreting the Plan against any loss, liability, claim, cost or expense
incurred by or asserted against such employee, officer or director as a result
of any act or omission to act in connection with the Plan, unless arising out of
such employee's, officer's or director's fraud or bad faith.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

Not Applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS

<TABLE>
<S>             <C>
 *3.3            Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company

 *3.4            Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company

 *4.1            Reference is made to Exhibits 3.3 and 3.4

 *4.2            Specimen Class A Common Stock certificate

 *4.3            1997 Stockholders' Agreement

  5              Opinion of Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, PLLC

*10.21           CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock Compensation Plan

 10.24           Amendment Number One to the CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock
                 Compensation Plan

 23.1            Consent of Coopers & Lybrand

 23.2            Consent of Dow, Lohnes & Albertson
                 (contained in their opinion in Exhibit 5)
</TABLE>

* Incorporated by reference to the corresponding exhibit of the Company's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-26741)


ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

            (a)         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                        (1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales
            are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
            statement to include any material information with respect to the
            plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
            statement or any material change to such information in the
            registration statement;

                        (2) that, for the purpose of determining any liability
            under the Securities Act, each such post effective amendment shall
            be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
            securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at
            that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
            thereof; and


<PAGE>   4



                        (3) to remove from registration by means of a
            post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
            which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

            (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes
of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
registrant's Annual Report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's
Annual Report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

            (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the
registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.



<PAGE>   5



                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in Manhasset, New York on the 31 day of October, 1997.

                         CMP MEDIA INC.                                        
                                                                               
                                                                               
                         By:  /s/ Michael S. Leeds                             
                              -------------------------------------------------
                                              Michael S. Leeds                 
                              President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director
                         

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.

<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
                               Signature                       Capacity                             Date
                               ---------                       --------                             ----
<S>                                                 <C>                                        <C>
 /s/ Michael S. Leeds                                         President,                         October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      Chief Executive Officer                          
                  Michael S. Leeds                          and a Director        
                                                     (Principal Executive Officer)
                                                     
 /s/ Kenneth D. Cron                                   Executive Vice President,                 October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      President of Publishing                          
                  Kenneth D. Cron                           and a Director     
                                                      

 /s/ Joseph E. Sichler                                    Vice President and                     October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      Chief Financial Officer                          
                  Joseph E. Sichler                  (Principal Financial Officer
                                                       and Principal Accounting  
                                                               Officer)          
                                                    

 /s/ Gerard G. Leeds                                   Director, Co-Chairperson                  October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------       of Board of Directors                           
                  Gerard G. Leeds            

 /s/ Lilo J. Leeds                                     Director, Co-Chairperson                  October 30, 1997
--------------------------------------------------       of Board of Directors                           
                  Lilo J. Leeds             
</TABLE>




<PAGE>   6





<TABLE>
<S>         /s/ RICHARD A. LEEDS                             <C>                     <C>
--------------------------------------------------               Director                          October 31, 1997    
                Richard A. Leeds                                                                                       
</TABLE>
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "CMP MEDIA INC. FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 15411}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "CMP MEDIA INC", "cik": "0001034139", "assigned-sic": "2721", "irs-number": "11224090", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-39263", "film-number": "97706046"}, "business-address": {"street1": "600 COMMUNITY DR", "city": "MANHASSET", "state": "NY", "zip": "11030", "phone": "5165625763"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "600 COMMUNITY DRIVE", "city": "MANHASSET", "state": "NY", "zip": "11030"}}
1
       As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 1997.

                                                           Registration No. 333-
================================================================================
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                ----------------

                                    FORM S-8
                             REGISTRATION STATEMENT
                                      UNDER
                           THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                                ----------------

                                 CMP MEDIA INC.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

              DELAWARE                                  11-2240940     
    (State or other jurisdiction                     (I.R.S. Employer  
  of incorporation or organization)                 Identification No.)

           600 COMMUNITY DRIVE                           11030  
           MANHASSET, NEW YORK                        (Zip Code)
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)               

                                ----------------

                CMP MEDIA INC. DIRECTORS' STOCK COMPENSATION PLAN
                              (Full title of plan)

                                ----------------
                            ROBERT D. MARAFIOTI, ESQ.
                  Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel
                                 CMP Media Inc.
                               600 Community Drive
                            Manhasset, New York 11030
                     (Name and Address of agent for service)

                                ----------------

                     Telephone number of agent for service:
                                 (516) 562-5000

                                ----------------

                         CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
====================================================================================================================
                                                  Proposed               Proposed
                                              maximum offering           maximum
      Title of security      Amount being         price per         aggregate offering          Amount of
       being registered      registered*           share**                price             registration fee
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Class A
        Common Stock,
        $.01 Par Value
          Per Share             35,000             $16.19                $566,650                 $172
====================================================================================================================
* In addition, pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement also covers an indeterminate number of additional shares
which may be offered and issued in accordance with the Plan terms to prevent
dilution from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

** The maximum offering price per share is calculated pursuant to Rule 457(c)
and (h) using the average high and low prices of the security as of October 28,
1997 as reported in NASDAQ.

================================================================================
2

                                     PART II

               INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

ITEM 3.  INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE

            CMP Media Inc. (the "Company") hereby incorporates, or will be
deemed to have incorporated, herein by reference the following documents:

            (1) The Company's Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) of the
Securities Act for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1996.

            (2) The Company's Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 1997.

            (3) The description of the Company's Class A Common Stock contained
in the Company's most recent Securities Exchange Act of 1934 registration
statement, including any amendment thereto or report filed for the purpose of
updating such description.

            (4) All documents filed by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a),
13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the
date of this Registration Statement and prior to the filing of a post-effective
amendment which indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which
deregisters all securities then remaining unsold.

ITEM 4.  DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

Not applicable.

ITEM 5.  INTERESTS OF NAMED EXPERTS AND COUNSEL.

None.

ITEM 6.  INDEMNIFICATION OF OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

            Section 102(b)(7) of the General Corporation Law of the State of
Delaware (the "DGCL"), provides that a corporation (in its original certificate
of incorporation or an amendment thereto) may eliminate or limit the personal
liability of a director (or certain persons who, pursuant to the provisions of
the certificate of incorporation, exercise or perform duties conferred or
imposed upon directors by the DGCL) to the corporation or its stockholders for
monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such
provisions shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any
breach of the director's duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders,
(ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional
misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL
(providing for liability of directors for unlawful payment of dividends or
unlawful stock purchases or redemptions) or (iv) for any transaction from which
the director derived an improper personal benefit. Section 7.5 of the
Certificate of Incorporation of the Company, as amended (the "Certificate of
Incorporation"), limits the liability of directors thereof to the extent
permitted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL.

            Under Section 145 of the DGCL, in general, a corporation may
indemnify its directors, officers, employees or agents against expenses
(including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement
actually and reasonably incurred by them in connection with any action, suit or
proceeding brought by third parties to which they may be made parties by reason
of their being or having been directors, officers, employees or agents and shall
so indemnify such persons only if they acted in good faith and in a manner they
reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the
corporation and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no
3

reasonable cause to believe their conduct was unlawful. Section 7.4 of the
Certificate of Incorporation gives the Company the power to indemnify its
officers, directors, employees and agents to the full extent permitted by
Delaware law.

            In addition, the CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock Compensation Plan
(the "Plan") provides for the indemnification of directors who serve on the
Plan's administrative committee and for indemnification of any employee, officer
or director who is allocated or delegated responsibility for administering or
interpreting the Plan against any loss, liability, claim, cost or expense
incurred by or asserted against such employee, officer or director as a result
of any act or omission to act in connection with the Plan, unless arising out of
such employee's, officer's or director's fraud or bad faith.

ITEM 7.  EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION CLAIMED

Not Applicable.

ITEM 8.  EXHIBITS
*3.3            Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company

 *3.4            Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company

 *4.1            Reference is made to Exhibits 3.3 and 3.4

 *4.2            Specimen Class A Common Stock certificate

 *4.3            1997 Stockholders' Agreement

  5              Opinion of Dow, Lohnes & Albertson, PLLC

*10.21           CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock Compensation Plan

 10.24           Amendment Number One to the CMP Media Inc. Directors' Stock
                 Compensation Plan

 23.1            Consent of Coopers & Lybrand

 23.2            Consent of Dow, Lohnes & Albertson
                 (contained in their opinion in Exhibit 5)
* Incorporated by reference to the corresponding exhibit of the Company's
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-26741)

ITEM 9.  UNDERTAKINGS

            (a)         The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

                        (1) to file, during any period in which offers or sales
            are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration
            statement to include any material information with respect to the
            plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration
            statement or any material change to such information in the
            registration statement;

                        (2) that, for the purpose of determining any liability
            under the Securities Act, each such post effective amendment shall
            be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
            securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at
            that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
            thereof; and
4

                        (3) to remove from registration by means of a
            post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered
            which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

            (b) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes
of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
registrant's Annual Report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan's
Annual Report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is
incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a
new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the
offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona
fide offering thereof.

            (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the
Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons
of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions or otherwise, the
registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange
Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act
and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification
against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses
incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant
in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
5

                                   SIGNATURES

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all
of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized in Manhasset, New York on the 31 day of October, 1997.

                         CMP MEDIA INC.                                        
                                                                               
                                                                               
                         By:  /s/ Michael S. Leeds                             
                              -------------------------------------------------
                                              Michael S. Leeds                 
                              President, Chief Executive Officer and a Director
                         

            Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature                       Capacity                             Date
                               ---------                       --------                             ----
/s/ Michael S. Leeds                                         President,                         October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      Chief Executive Officer                          
                  Michael S. Leeds                          and a Director        
                                                     (Principal Executive Officer)
                                                     
 /s/ Kenneth D. Cron                                   Executive Vice President,                 October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      President of Publishing                          
                  Kenneth D. Cron                           and a Director     
                                                      

 /s/ Joseph E. Sichler                                    Vice President and                     October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------      Chief Financial Officer                          
                  Joseph E. Sichler                  (Principal Financial Officer
                                                       and Principal Accounting  
                                                               Officer)          
                                                    

 /s/ Gerard G. Leeds                                   Director, Co-Chairperson                  October 31, 1997
--------------------------------------------------       of Board of Directors                           
                  Gerard G. Leeds            

 /s/ Lilo J. Leeds                                     Director, Co-Chairperson                  October 30, 1997
--------------------------------------------------       of Board of Directors                           
                  Lilo J. Leeds
6
/s/ RICHARD A. LEEDS
--------------------------------------------------               Director                          October 31, 1997    
                Richard A. Leeds