Real Cities regional market and information hubs include local Web directories, search, community publishing, e-commerce marketplaces, free e-mail, 24-hour national and local news, and one-time registration service for use of all Real Cities products and online services. Knight Ridder's online newspapers are also integrated into the network information hubs so users don't have to hop around the Web.

"These hubs are only the beginning of our evolution," said Dan Finnigan, president, Knight Ridder New Media. "Our goal is to develop the most comprehensive network of localized information available on the Web. We intend to become the 'go local' button on the Web. We're working aggressively to build out these market centers across the U.S. We provide consumers easy-to-use features and functionality that enable them to explore their communities as never before. Users can find information fast - and interact with it. What we're building is in-depth, one-stop local resources with high-level navigation tools."

Finnigan added that in order to build out the network, Real Cities leaders are in active partnership talks with leading local media companies, newspaper and broadcast, in important non-Knight Ridder markets.

"We want companies that know local in their markets just as we know local in ours," Finnigan said. "Real Cities is about combining the content and promotional power of local newspapers, radio and TV stations."

Finnigan pointed to a partnership between ABC affiliate WPVI Channel 6 and Real Cities' Philly.com as a model of what could happen as Real Cities expands into non-Knight Ridder markets. "We offer an optional turn-key platform and can launch a new city in just 24 hours or add new media partners within 48 hours. And we're flexible enough to make these partnerships work."

Finnigan cited recently created partnerships with Belo and Central Newspapers as examples of the expansion he seeks. Among the next set of Real Cities hubs to roll out are Phoenix (Phoenixaz.com) and Indianapolis (Indy.com).

Howard Finberg, director of technology and information strategies at Central Newspapers, owner of the newspapers and sites in Phoenix and Indianapolis said: "Real Cities is one of the most powerful network options we've seen. In order to succeed in the Internet space we need to be a part of a dynamic and useful network. Leveraging the power of a network at our local sites improves what we can offer customers and also helps us attract new customers at the national level. It's a solution that the consumer wants - an easy way to search for information that's relevant at the local level, which is what Real Cities is all about."

Belo Corporation's Burl Osborne, president of the publishing division and a Real Cities partner, said: "We joined Real Cities in Dallas [DFW.com] because we think it offers the kind of national support that local media companies need to succeed in their own markets. National power means to us national ad sales, portal functionality, stronger positioning in the interactive industry, and the traffic benefits of the 'network effect.'"

Online analyst Dan Miller, vice president of advisory services for The Kelsey Group, acknowledges there are real advantages to Real Cities' approach. "The Kelsey Group puts a high premium on Real Cities' efforts to bring regional relevance to an all-too-global medium. Genuine efforts to use the Web to reach local audiences have just begun and Real Cities is a leader in this direction. Visitors will benefit from Knight Ridder's editorial staff in each market, its long-standing experience preparing interactive content, and a strategy that is open to partnering."

"Our local staffs have built the foundation," Finnigan said. "We can now leverage all of the strengths and work of our Knight Ridder publishers and online leaders to really build a regional network of substance and stake a claim in the marketplace."

Ford Motor Sports, 800.com, Symantec and FiNet, a provider of electronic home financing services are examples of some national advertisers who have already joined the network. Finnigan concluded: "Advertisers have told us they like the network, and it's a one-buy offering."

All regional market and information hubs in each of Real Cities' 30 U.S. cities are anticipated to be fully functional by January 2000.

Detailed feature and functionality information:

Web directories and search:

Real Cities regional information hubs offer users the uniqueness of locally catalogued Web directories combined with the power of a national database to help them find what they want - local or national - a click away. Real Cities directories are based on Inktomi's latest Directory Engine technology especially designed for local customization. In each market the Real Cities interactive staff will customize and augment the directories adding regional relevance. The user experiences hand-selected local content and global information unequaled by any competitor.

The proven power of Inktomi's technology allows Real Cities search and navigation tools to provide local or global information - always delivering local search results first, followed by the best results of the Web.

Community publishing:

Knight Ridder New Media understands the importance of bringing together organizations, groups, institutions, associations and neighborhood clubs. In partnership with KOZ.com, Real Cities' hubs offer a comprehensive spectrum of online community tools and programs that help groups extend their interaction onto the Internet. Communities can build their own Web sites with a suite of tools including a calendar, photo album, newsletter, chat, message boards, and a host of other features.

Marketplace/e-commerce:

Through newspapers and classifieds Knight Ridder has brought buyers and sellers together for more than a century. As a pioneer in online classifieds, Real Cities' hubs include an all-new Marketplace with online shopping and vertical classified products spanning automotive, employment and real estate. The new Marketplace is an online resource for all shopping needs both online and off-line. The service makes shopping more convenient by making it easy to shop online or to find local retailers through online yellow pages. Marketplace features 26 product categories featuring both local and national merchants. Real Cities Gift Guides are integrated in each portal to easily organize gift ideas and make fast purchases.

Real Cities also helps local merchants who are eager to find out how to use the Internet to drive sales. With the use of Kinzan.com's SiteMan Storefront software, each Real Cities hub provides local retailers with the ability to affordably create their own e-merchant Web site easily. SiteMan Storefront incorporates the means for processing online transactions with real-time support for all popular payment systems, so merchants using the Real Cities service have everything they need to launch an e-commerce transaction site easily. If retailers want to drive business to a local store the Real Cities hubs can provide them with online coupon functionality provided by Prio, Inc. which can be used to increase foot traffic.

E-mail:

Free e-mail is another key feature Real Cities offers in partnership with a global provider of e-mail solutions, CommTouch Software. Each regional hub will provide users with free e-mail with choice of local addresses and e-mail dispatch services to give users the content and commerce they ask for. Each user has the option of a "city.com" attribution for their e-mail address in any Real Cities market; for example, JohnDoe@BayArea.com.

News:

For the first time, each of the Real Cities hubs will feature a new national news report, updated throughout the day and night. As this service grows, it will incorporate Knight Ridder's rich news and information reports and those of its wire partners, as well as the multimedia content that users are coming to expect from a full-service Web news site. The Real Cities national news team's work also allows the local news staff of each hub to focus exclusively on local news.

Passport (one-time registration):

Real Cities' unique Passport system allows users to register once and then move through the Real Cities products that require registration, such as community publishing, news archives, free e-mail and e-mail dispatch services.

About Knight Ridder New Media

Knight Ridder New Media, a leader in interactive information, is located in San Jose, Calif. Knight Ridder New Media produces Real Cities, (www.realcities.com) a national network of regional information and marketplace hubs on the World Wide Web. Real Cities consists of regional portals, city-resource sites and a variety of online services in classifieds, entertainment, shopping, news, search and archives.

Knight Ridder (NYSE: KRI) is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher (www.kri.com), with products in print and online. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers in 28 U.S. markets, with a readership of 9.2 million daily and 13.1 million Sunday. Knight Ridder also has investments in a variety of Internet and technology companies and two newsprint mills.

Press Contacts:

Knight Ridder New Media RealCities.com Cynthia Funnell 408-938-6076 cfunnell@realcities.com

BayArea.com Bob Ryan 408-920-5494 bryan@sjmercury.com bryan@bayarea.com

Twin Cities.com Beth Laing 651-228-5556 blaing@pioneerpress.com beth@twincities.com

Miami.com & Broward.com Rich Gordon 305-376-4736 rgordon@herald.com rgordon@miami.com