The Scripps sites joining the network include the Denver Rocky Mountain News¼ rockymountainnews.com; The Memphis Commercial Appeal¼s gomemphis.com; The Knoxville News Sentinel¼s knoxnews.com; and cincinow.com, operated by WCPO-TV in Cincinnati and featuring a wide array of content from several radio stations, The Cincinnati Post and other partners.

Each of the Scripps sites will be linked across the Real Cities network and included in national advertising and distribution deals. The affiliated sites will also integrate the Real Cities¼ Local Directory product, a searchable listing of useful local Web sites hand-picked by local editors.

With the addition of the four Scripps sites, the Real Cities network now includes 36 regional destination hubs, serving 12 of the top 26 markets in the United States.

"We¼re very excited that Scripps is joining Real Cities," said Dan Finnigan, president of KnightRidder.com. "Scripps is a significant addition that contributes to building one of the strongest local networks on the Web today. This move strengthens the promise that Real Cities is providing Web users around the country the power of great local information and services."

Neal Fondren, vice president of new media for Scripps, said, "The decision to join the Real Cities network is further demonstration of our commitment to building leading interactive brands in all of our local markets. Real Cities adds an important dimension to the service we provide our interactive consumers and advertisers."

The Scripps sites will join the network this spring and summer.

Fondren and Finnigan said that both companies continue to discuss ways to expand their partnership, including the potential addition of other Scripps-owned sites or content to the network.

In addition to local Web sites in newspaper and broadcast television markets, Scripps also operates some of the most popular consumer category sites on the Web, including foodtv.com, the interactive sister of cable television¼s Food Network; hgtv.com, affiliated with Home and Garden Television; diynet.com, the Web component of the recently launched Do It Yourself (DIY) network; and comics.com, the leading source for comic strips on the Internet.

Real Cities is a national network of 36 regional information hubs staffed and operated by some of the nation¼s leading media companies, including KnightRidder.com, Central Newspapers, A.H. Belo Corporation and Macromedia, Inc. Among its member Web sites are: BayArea.com, DFW.com, Indy.com, KansasCity.com, Kentucky.com, Miami.com, Ohio.com, PhoenixAZ.com, TwinCities.com and soon-to-be debuted NorthJersey.com. Real Cities offers a variety of online services in news, entertainment, classifieds, shopping, search and community publishing. Real Cities also creates and manages a host of specialty interest sites such as SiliconValley.com, Auto.com and ThatsRacin.com.

About The E.W. Scripps Company:

The E.W. Scripps Company operates 20 daily newspapers; 10 broadcast television stations; three TV networks, Home & Garden Television, the Food Network and Do It Yourself; and a TV programmer, Scripps Productions. The company also operates United Media, a worldwide syndicator and licensor of news features and comics, and the Scripps Howard News Service. Scripps operates 31 revenue-producing Web sites, including hgtv.com, foodtv.com, diynet.com and comics.com.

About KnightRidder.com and Real Cities:

KnightRidder.com, a leader in interactive information, is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., the heart of Silicon Valley. KnightRidder.com operates and manages the emerging national network of regional hubs, RealCities.com. Real Cities offers a variety of online services covering news, classified ads, entertainment, shopping, search, community publishing, Internet access, and archives. Real Cities partners include Central Newspapers. Belo Corporation and Macromedia, Inc. and now The E.W. Scripps Company. Among its member Web sites are:BayArea.com, DFW.com, Indy.com, KansasCity.com, Kentucky.com, Miami.com, Ohio.com, PhoenixAZ.com, Charlotte.com., TwinCities.com and the soon-to-debut NorthJersey.com. KnightRidder.com is an independent business unit of Knight Ridder (NYSE: KRI), the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States.

Press contacts:

Cynthia Mallen Funnell KnightRidder.com 408-938-6076 Email: cfunnell@realcities.com

Tim Stautberg The E.W. Scripps Company 513-977-3826 Email: stautberg@scripps.com