BLC Belo Corp.

CHICAGO, May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Classified Ventures, LLC, a strategic joint venture owned by six leading media companies, today announced the appointment of Kevin Doyle to Senior Vice President and General Manager of Apartments.com. A five-year veteran of Classified Ventures, Doyle has been serving as Vice President of Sales for Apartments.com. In his new position, Doyle will oversee all business operations of Apartments.com, the leading online rentals resource. Doyle assumes his new position from Tim Fagan, who was promoted in April to President of Classified Ventures' Real Estate division which operates HomeGain.com and Homescape. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060511/CGTH081 ) "Kevin Doyle has been instrumental to the growth of Apartments.com throughout his five years leading the sales team. This promotion will allow Kevin to utilize his leadership skills and strong business acumen to drive continued success at Apartments.com," said Dan Jauernig, Classified Ventures' President and Chief Executive Officer. Under the direction of Doyle, Apartments.com premium advertisers have grown from 8,000 to over 14,000 and revenues have increased five-fold. In addition, Kevin was instrumental in building a top-notch sales team consisting of more than 100 customer-centric employees located throughout the United States. "Under Kevin's management, Apartments.com will continue to focus on its core consumer and multifamily industry audiences to deliver successful, innovative products that help renters locate apartments and moving information and help property owners and managers lease apartments." Apartments.com reported record-breaking visits and leads to customers during the first quarter of 2006. On average, thirty percent more leads are being sent to advertising properties this year than in 2005 and the figure continues to grow. Demonstrating its position as an industry leader, Apartments.com has exceeded its all-time record with more than one million leads being sent to advertisers in April. "Apartments.com is the number one Internet listing subscription service in the rentals category. With nearly three million unique visitors in April, Apartments.com is positioned to have its most successful year ever in 2006," stated Kevin Doyle. "I am looking forward to leading the Apartments.com business and further distinguishing it as an unbeatable resource for advertisers and renters." Doyle joined Apartments.com in 2001 following twelve years of sales and management experience at Chicago Tribune, Brassring.com and Headhunter.net. Previous accomplishments include creating the first-ever offline career fair for Yahoo! Careers and Headhunter.net, as well as contributing to the development of Silicon Prairie -- a high-tech magazine for IT professionals. Kevin is also a two-time winner of the Campbell Award, a Chicago Tribune top sales honor. Kevin earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Notre Dame University. He is an active member of the National Multi Housing Council's Board of Directors. About Classified Ventures Classified Ventures is a strategic joint venture among six media companies, including Belo Corp. (NYSE:BLC), Gannett Co. Inc. (NYSE:GCI), Knight Ridder Inc. (NYSE:KRI), The McClatchy Co. (NYSE:MNI), Tribune Co. (NYSE:TRB) and The Washington Post Co. (NYSE:WPO), whose objectives are to collectively capitalize on the revenue growth in the online advertising categories of automotive, real estate, and rentals. To execute on its objectives, Classified Ventures has four leading businesses -- Apartments.com, Cars.com, HomeGain and Homescape. About Apartments.com Apartments.com is the most visited national apartment Internet listing subscription service distinguished by approximately three million rental listings from managed properties, newspaper classifieds and for-rent-by-owner units. Its personalized searches, highly visual ads featuring 360-degree virtual tours and professional photography, and comprehensive community listings, make it possible for in-market renters to access rental inventory from across town or across the country and make informed decisions quickly. The site's foundation of solid partnerships with the local newspaper and television station Web sites of more than 170 affiliates across the country includes the Chicago Tribune ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/ ), The Washington Post ( http://www.washingtonpost.com/ ) and the Los Angeles Times ( http://www.latimes.com/ ). Apartments.com, a division of Chicago-based Classified Ventures, LLC, delivers highly qualified, ready-to-rent prospects to more than 14,000 trade customers, which increases closure rates and decreases the average cost of leasing an apartment. Apartments.com is the 2005 Webby Awards People's Voice winner, a tremendous honor that indicates the highest level of loyalty and commitment from its visitor base. http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060511/CGTH081 http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Classified Ventures, LLC CONTACT: Maureen Boyle, Director of Marketing of Apartments.com, +1-312-601-6109, or fax, +1-312-601-6047, or Web site: http://www.classifiedventures.com/ http://www.chicagotribune.com/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/ http://www.latimes.com/ http://www.apartments.com/

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