Real Cities users can buy books online from more than 10,000 publishers through the all-new Real Cities book site, RealBooks. Book fulfillment will be provided by BarnesandNoble.com, the online subsidiary of Barnes & Noble, Inc. Tickets and merchandise sold for Ticketmaster events can be purchased on Real Cities Just Go online entertainment sites and other areas of Real Cities Web sites.

"RealBooks will offer reviews, author interviews and a wealth of other book-related material from some of the best writers in the country," said Bob Ingle, president of Knight Ridder New Media. "If the customer then wants to buy a book just reviewed, it will be a simple click away." Users have access to more than 400,000 in-stock titles available for fast shipping through BarnesandNoble.com's inventory system. Other features of "RealBooks" include links to BarnesandNoble.com's nightly live author chats, access to bestseller lists and a directory of online resources for amateur writers.

Ingle said Real Cities' Just Go entertainment sites, which contain the deepest, richest collections of entertainment and dining out information available in each market, will offer the same convenience in ordering event tickets through Ticketmaster directly from the page containing information about the event.

"This is about enriching our users' experiences and generating new revenue streams. Electronic commerce is no longer in the exploratory stages, it's a fundamental part of our business," said Mary Hossfeld, director of new products and strategic partnerships, Knight Ridder New Media. "The ability to purchase tickets online is highly complementary to our extensive and localized coverage of entertainment and events found in our Just Go Web sites. Our book reviews, recommendations and editorial content are all added values for users of all our online products."

Real Cities and Ticketmaster Online are co-sponsoring a variety of promotional programs and ticket give-aways. Book links to barnesandnoble.com are found throughout Real Cities sites and Internet online products such as JobHunter and CarHunter.

RealBooks and Just Go are trademarks of Knight Ridder New Media and are part of the Real Cities network. Real Cities is a trademark of Knight Ridder New Media.

Just Go entertainment guides are available in the Bay Area, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Charlotte, South Florida and Detroit. Sites coming soon include Philadelphia, Myrtle Beach, S.C., Columbia, S.C, and Kansas City.

Ticketmaster is the world's leading computerized ticketing service, selling nearly 70 million tickets a year through more than 2,900 retail Ticket Center outlets, 25 worldwide telephone call centers,and its Internet site.

Knight Ridder New Media, located in San Jose, Calif. is a division of Knight Ridder. Real Cities is Knight Ridder's national online network consisting of 33 web sites and Internet products. Knight Ridder is the nation's second largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online. The company publishes 33 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, reaching 9.3 million readers daily and 12.9 million on Sunday. Knight Ridder has investments in two newsprint mills and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.

BarnesandNoble.com is a leading online retailer of books and is the exclusive bookseller to America Online's 11 million subscribers. BarnesandNoble.com has exclusive partnerships with over 2000 affiliates, including CNN Interactive, Disney, Knight Ridder, Lycos and ZD Net. BarnesandNoble.com continues to bring bookselling innovation to the Internet. It was the first online bookseller to offer deep discounts and the first to carry an extensive inventory on its shelves. Currently the company stocks more than 400,000 titles in its state-of-the-art distribution center, which is the largest standing inventory of any bookseller online.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the world's largest bookseller. It is the leading operator of book superstores in America, with 484 stores nationwide, in 48 states. It also operates 555 bookstores in shopping malls, in 46 states. The company also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores and nationwide mail order catalogs. General financial information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company's investor relations Web site.

Contact:

Cynthia Funnell National Communications Manager Knight Ridder New Media (408) 938-6076 cfunnell@newmedia.kri.com