Gannett to Join Tribune and Partner on National Network of Local Entertainment Sites
October 29 2007 - 10:17AM
PR Newswire (US)
Joint Venture Will Expand Metromix.com to Top 30 Markets CHICAGO
and MCLEAN, Va., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gannett Co.,
Inc. (NYSE:GCI) and Tribune Interactive, a division of Tribune
Company (NYSE:TRB), today announced a joint venture to expand a
national network of local entertainment Web sites under the
Metromix brand. The newly formed company, Metromix LLC, will focus
on launching Metromix.com in the nation's top 30 markets plus other
key metro areas in the coming months. It will be co-owned equally
by the two parent companies. Terms of the venture were not
disclosed. Metromix currently is available in New York, Los
Angeles, Chicago and other large Tribune markets. Each Metromix
site is a one-stop guide to area restaurants, bars and clubs,
events, concerts, movies and more. The award-winning product
targets young, socially active adults looking for an insider's
perspective on local trends and hotspots. Users are typically
21-to-34 years-old with significant disposable income. "Gannett and
Tribune are a powerful combination of deep local market experience,
superior content and national scale," said Tim Landon, Tribune
Interactive president. "With this partnership we can grow Metromix
into a true national brand, adding value for advertisers who want
to reach a highly desirable demographic." "We are pleased to join
with Tribune in expanding Metromix," said Jack Williams, president
of Gannett Digital. "Together we can take the established and
successful Metromix brand and deliver it -- with local authenticity
-- to all the nation's top markets. The concept is simple: make it
fun, make it relevant, make it the place to go. That's what
Metromix is all about." Metromix, originally launched by the
Chicago Tribune, recently celebrated its tenth anniversary as the
"go to" source for entertainment information in the city. The
site's searchable database features more than 45,000 reader
reviews, 5,000 current events and 20,000 destinations, including
10,000 restaurants and 3,000 bars and clubs. It has earned numerous
awards including the EPpy Award for Best Entertainment Site and the
Digital Edge Award for Best Advertising Program. "Metromix is a
truly authentic, credible and up-to-the-minute entertainment
resource -- as millions of Chicagoans can attest," said Kara Walsh,
Metromix LLC chief executive officer. "Our users depend on
technology to manage their lives, and use Metromix to stay 'in the
know' about the social scene. As we expand our rollout across the
country, we will bring the same 'must-see' qualities to users in
other top markets." Metromix also is online in New York, Los
Angeles, Baltimore, Orlando, South Florida and other markets. The
current network receives more than 14.5 million page views from
over 1.6 million unique users per month (Omniture, Sept. 2007).
Under the joint venture, Metromix expects to be in 25 of the top 30
markets and more than 40 markets overall by the end of 2008. In
cities where Gannett and Tribune do not currently have operations,
Metromix LLC may partner with other media companies to serve as
local Metromix affiliates. Metromix LLC will be headquartered in
Chicago. Its national content group will remain based in Los
Angeles, close to movie and television industry contacts. GANNETT
CO., INC. (NYSE:GCI) is a leading international news and
information company that publishes 85 daily newspapers in the USA,
including USA TODAY, the nation's largest-selling daily newspaper.
The company also owns nearly 1,000 non-daily publications in the
USA and USA WEEKEND, a weekly newspaper magazine. Gannett
subsidiary Newsquest is the United Kingdom's second largest
regional newspaper company. Newsquest publishes nearly 300 titles,
including 18 daily newspapers, and a network of prize-winning Web
sites. Gannett also operates 23 television stations in the United
States and is an Internet leader with sites sponsored by its TV
stations and newspapers including USATODAY.com, one of the most
popular news sites on the Web. TRIBUNE (NYSE:TRB) is one of the
country's top media companies, operating businesses in publishing,
interactive and broadcasting. It reaches more than 80 percent of
U.S. households and is the only media organization with newspapers,
television stations and websites in the nation's top three markets.
In publishing, Tribune's leading daily newspapers include the Los
Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday (Long Island, N.Y.), The
Sun (Baltimore), South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel and
Hartford Courant. The company's broadcasting group operates 23
television stations, Superstation WGN on national cable, Chicago's
WGN-AM and the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Popular news and
information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast
properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.
DATASOURCE: Tribune Company CONTACT: Gary Weitman of Tribune
Company, +1-312-222-3394, ; or Tara Connell of Gannett Co., Inc.,
+1-703-854-6049, Web site: http://www.tribune.com/
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