With the addition of PittsburghFirst.com, the Real Cities network now includes 36 regional destination hubs, serving 11 of the top 26 markets in the United States.

PittsburghFirst.com will draw upon the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper and its leading post-gazette.com site, and will also showcase other content and services from across the western Pennsylvania region.

"PittsburghFirst.com is designed to serve as a true regional portal, serving the needs of users in the entire Pittsburgh metropolitan area," said William Block, Jr., president of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

PittsburghFirst.com is expected to launch on the Real Cities network in mid-May.

Dan Finnigan, president of KnightRidder.com, welcomed the addition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and PittsburghFirst.com into the network.

"Real Cities is a coalition of leading regional Web hubs that are getting together to give Web users across the country the benefit of local information and services," Finnigan said. "The time is now to take advantage of the local opportunity on the Web. The Real Cities network continues to be the ideal vehicle to deliver the in-depth local information and services that are in demand. We¼re delighted that the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has chosen to join and strengthen the network."

David Beihoff, general manager for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said the company¼s decision to join Real Cities came down to the potential power of being part of a national network.

"Being part of a national network of leading media companies is attractive," said Beihoff. "It allows us to focus on doing a great job in our local market, while at the same time offering our customers the opportunity to receive exposure on a more national stage. We¼re looking forward to the national distribution and advertising opportunities that Real Cities can offer."

About KnightRidder.com and Real Cities:

KnightRidder.com, a leader in interactive information, is headquartered in San Jose, California, 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 E.W. Scripps, Central Newspapers, 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, Charlotte.com, TwinCities.com and soon-to-be debuted, NorthJersey.com. KnightRidder.com is an independent business unit of Knight Ridder (NYSE: KRI), the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States.

About The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is a holding of Blade Communications Inc. William Block serves as chairman of the newspaper, William Block Jr. is president and co-publisher, and John Robinson Block is co-publisher and editor-in-chief. Other Block family properties include The Blade (Toledo, Ohio), cable TV systems, broadcast television stations, a telephone company and several other companies.

Press contacts:

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

Debra Alward Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 412-263-1908 alward@post-gazette.com