NewsHound.com is a customizable, online news search service that delivers personalized information to users' Web pages or email addresses by continuously scanning Knight Ridder newspapers and wire services. Users 'train' their hounds to fetch and deliver articles of interest to their desktops or email boxes.

Mail Call eliminates the need for subscribers to have access to a computer in order to read and manage their email by allowing them email access via telephone. Registering for the service can be done securely online at http://www.mailcall.net. Mail Call users can call a special number from anywhere in the world to access their email.

"Knight Ridder New Media recognizes the important need for mobile professionals to access their personalized news and information when and where it is most convenient for them," said Chris Jennewein, vice president of technology and operations. "Whether our customers are driving in their cars to a meeting or staying in a hotel for a business trip, Mail Call enhances NewsHound.com's ability to keep users informed at all times."

The Mail Call service reads subscribers the headers of email messages and then offers the option to hear, reply, fax, or delete the messages. In addition, Mail Call gives users the opportunity to personalize their accounts with preferences such as a choice of several different reader voices and a list of names of individuals and companies to prioritize. Preferences and address book entries can be changed and updated at any time by visiting Mail Call's Web site.

"Mail Call subscribers have found it very practical to be able to retrieve and manage their e-mail from anywhere in the world," explains Mail Call President Ron Schnell. "Offering NewsHound.com at a reduced rate takes us a step further in allowing people to leave their laptops at home. NewsHound was a natural option for us, since it allows subscribers to get the news they want, with the ability to customize it in great detail. It is a natural extension to our existing preferred messaging and filtering options."

NewsHound subscribers will save $9.95 off the regular price of the desired plan for their first month's Mail Call usage. Monthly price plans for Mail Call's services range from a $4.95 10-minute plan to a $12.95 60-minute plan. Additional charges are incurred by additional minutes and faxed pages. Mail Call subscribers will be able to sign up for the NewsHound.com service at the reduced rate of $5.95 per month.

About Mail Call, Inc

Mail Call, Inc. is based in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and is the premiere service for retrieving and managing e-mail over the telephone. By working with content providers, Internet service providers, e-mail providers, wireless phone companies and long distance companies, the Mail Call service allows business travelers and e-mail reliant people to have access to critical e-mail while away from their computer.

For more information about Mail Call, visit http://www.mailcall.net. For a demonstration, call 888-MAIL-750 and press 1#.

About Knight Ridder New Media

Knight Ridder New Media, leaders in interactive information, is located in San Jose, Calif., and maintains more than 40 Web sites in the Real Cities network (http://www.realcities.com). Twenty-nine are city-resource sites and 14 are specialty-content sites, including NewsHound (http://www.newshound.com) - a customizable, online news search and retrieval service delivering personalized information to subscribers by continuously scanning the nation's highest quality newspapers.

Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest information publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, reaching 9 million readers daily and 12.6 million on Sunday. Knight Ridder has investments in two newsprint mills and is headquartered in San Jose, Calif.

Contacts:

Mail Call, Inc. Ron Schnell (954) 437-4199 ronnie@mailcall.net

Marlo Lucila for Knight Ridder Media Pacifico, Inc. (408) 293-8600