sign in sign up
<<
Home , Newsday, Newsweek

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive and Select Switchboard Directory Services

Switchboard Technology to Power Yellow & White Pages on Top-Ranked News Web Sites in Washington D.C. and City

WESTBORO, Mass., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Switchboard Incorporated (Nasdaq: SWBD), a leading provider of directory technology and online yellow pages solutions, today announced agreements with Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI), the new-media and electronic- publishing subsidiary of Company (NYSE: WPO) and Newsday, a subsidiary of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB). WPNI and Newsday will feature Switchboard's yellow and white pages services on their award-winning Web sites washingtonpost.com, Newsday.com and NYNewsday.com. Under the agreement, the sites will use Switchboard's directory platform to connect close to 6 million monthly unique users with businesses and people in the greater Washington and New York areas and across the country.

Both organizations will utilize customized yellow pages based on the Switchboard Matrix(SM) technology. Switchboard Matrix, the industry's most advanced yellow pages platform, allows users to go beyond traditional category / location searching to pinpoint businesses based on the products, services, and brands they offer. The flexibility of Switchboard's Matrix platform will allow both washingtonpost.com and Newsday.com to enhance business listings with links to unique editorial content.

Businesses that currently advertise on Switchboard.com and the Switchboard Network will be featured in the washingtonpost.com yellow pages, providing these businesses with increased online exposure on a well utilized and highly popular Internet site. washingtonpost.com and Newsday.com sales representatives will have the ability to sell local advertising into the customized directories and will share resulting revenues with Switchboard. Switchboard will provide a full suite of customer management tools and services in support of their sales efforts.

"washingtonpost.com is committed to providing users with a powerful interactive experience, whether it's in-depth multimedia news coverage, or bringing buyers and sellers together online," said Christopher M. Schroeder, CEO of Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive. "The customized yellow pages will be an important resource for people researching and conducting their transactions online."

"Every day Newsday.com and NYNewsday.com changes, offering new features, information and services that our users find useful and vital to making informed decisions," said Anthony Wills, General Manager of Newsday.com. "Integrating customized vertical yellow pages directories in a number of our online content areas will provide our users with important information about local businesses in their area that can meet their product and services needs."

"The decisions of washingtonpost.com and Newsday to utilize the Switchboard platform further exemplifies the power of online directories in the segment," said Douglas Greenlaw, CEO of Switchboard. "Switchboard's deep penetration into the newspaper industry confirms the natural fit between online directories and local newspaper content, as well as the incremental revenue opportunity directories provide to attract local advertisers to local online media properties."

Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive is the new-media and electronic publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO). Its mission is to develop the company's editorial products and businesses on the Internet and across all electronic content delivery platforms. WPNI's flagship products include washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.MSNBC.com. The company is headquartered in Arlington, VA.

Newsday is one of the nation's largest daily , serving and as the premier of local news and comprehensive national and international reporting. Newsday.com and NYNewsday.com, Newsday's Internet sites, provide up-to-the-minute online local news, sports and business updates. Newsday is a subsidiary of Tribune Co., a leading media company with businesses in 23 major U.S. markets, including 18 of the top 30, and $6 billion in annual revenues.

About Switchboard Incorporated Headquartered in Westborough, Mass., Switchboard Incorporated is the leading provider of Web-hosted directory technologies and customized yellow pages platforms to yellow pages publishers, newspaper publishers and Internet portals that offer online local directory advertising solutions to national retailers and brick and mortar merchants across a full range of Internet and wireless platforms. Switchboard offers a broad range of functions, content and services including yellow and white pages, product directory, What's Nearby(SM) proximity searching, and interactive maps and driving directions. Relied on by more than 5 million unique users each month, Switchboard.com (www.switchboard.com) is an excellent resource to consumers and a showcase for Switchboard's superior directory technologies and breadth of product offerings. ePresence (Nasdaq: EPRE) owns approximately 52.0% of the outstanding shares of Switchboard. "Switchboard" and "What's Nearby" are registered service marks and "Switchboard Matrix" is a service mark of Switchboard Incorporated. Other trademarks and service marks used in this release are the property of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements based on current expectations or beliefs, as well as a number of assumptions about future events, and these statements are subject to important factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this release address a variety of subjects including, for example, the economic value and utility of the products and services offered by Switchboard to Switchboard's alliance partners and customers. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: Switchboard's alliance with washingtonpost.com and Newsday may fail to evolve as hoped, or may fail to produce the expected benefits. For a detailed discussion of other cautionary statements, please refer to Switchboard's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Switchboard's Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on September 19, 2002 and its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2002. Switchboard cautions readers to consider carefully the foregoing factors and other such factors. Further, Switchboard's forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which such statements are made. Switchboard disclaims any intention or obligation to update any forward-looking statements as a result of developments occurring after the date of this press release. SOURCE Switchboard Incorporated.

SOURCE Switchboard Incorporated

CONTACT: Elaine Haney of Switchboard, +1-508-898-8146, [email protected]; or George Nolan of washingtonpost.com, +1-703-469- 2798, [email protected]; or Stuart Vincent of Newsday, +1-631-843-2306, [email protected]

Web site: http://washingtonpost.com http://www.Newsday.com http://www.NYNewsday.com