"We really wanted to engage consumers in the awareness building process," said Lisa Romano, vice president of marketing and business development, KnightRidder.com. "We¼re excited to offer a variety of interactive components with this campaign."

Visitors to Kentucky.com can win a new 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser automobile. TwinCities.com prizes include home care services such as lawn care, handyman visits, and free maid service, among other things. Consumers can enter these contests by visiting TwinCities.com or Kentucky.com.

The all-encompassing media program produced by EURO RSCG/DSW Partners, one of the top 10 interactive agencies in the world and creator of Intel¼s "Intel Inside" campaign, is directed at busy families and entertainment seekers. These demographic groups are two of the most important Real Cities audiences to reach.

"Even though our primary goal for this marketing campaign is to introduce our city.com regional hubs and strengthen our local brands in our markets, our research has shown that entertainment, recreation, events and community happenings are in high demand by consumers," Romano said. "This campaign is a direct hit in these areas. We¼ve pre-tested our campaign and spoken to numerous consumers and found that our sites¼ comprehensiveness came as a pleasant and rewarding discovery. We know we¼re headed in the right direction when consumers find out and appreciate so many services to help them plan their lives and save time and money while keeping them åin-the-know¼."

DSW Account Director Sam Katzenbach said this is not another case of a dot-com company placing all their marketing budget into TV ads only.

"This campaign offers a complete mix of elements including powerful creative, smart media buys, with interactive components. It¼s the integrated approach that will make it a success," Katzenbach said.

The advertisements showcase a multitude of entertainment choices, happenings and events in each local community that can be found on Real Cities regional hubs. The theme revolves around alternative ways to spend recreational time, have fun, get information and be entertained. The slogan åIf they¼re having fun, they aren¼t doing this¼ is projected through images, Web menus and photos, which are used heavily to communicate fun alternative activities. To view the radio and television advertisements visit: www.knightridder.com/ads

The television and radio ad components will air on major media stations in the Twin Cities and Kentucky markets over four weeks. Internet, bus wraps, direct e-mail and print advertising will be ongoing. The campaign will be deployed in other Real Cities markets beginning June 25 for the following hubs: Miami.com, BayArea.com, Philly.com, KansasCity.com and Charlotte.com.

This campaign coincides with the rollout of Real Cities¼ redesigned city.com sites. The new redesign offers a robust local directory, 3-way search, a greater focus on local breaking news, information and events, happenings, cars, real estate, careers, entertainment, community publishing, shopping and bargains in the immediate market vicinity as well as national news. The redesigned sites feature a multi-layered ådestination¼ look and feel with substantially improved navigational options. More Web site changes to meet the growing demands of Real Cities users are expected to occur again in the fall.

Mary Epple-Ekhoff, the site director for Kentucky.com, pointed out the recent growth in Real Cities local sites and the level of recognition the sites achieved for local news and information.

"In some markets Real Cities has a 20 percent reach because of the quality of offerings and the pioneering arrival on the Web with online newspapers. We¼ve expanded our products significantly beyond online newspapers and it¼s time to let our communities know about all of our services," Epple-Ekhoff said.

Romano said Real Cities local hubs are content-rich and offer highly useful services.

"In order to gain recognition, especially during the recent proliferation of dot-com advertising, we had to find a way to engage consumers. And we want to communicate the city.com messages and call-to-action in a bold, entertaining and unique manner. I think DSW Partners achieved that," she said.

Beth Laing, site director of TwinCities.com, reiterated the importance of solidifying a leadership position in the local space. "We have a credible and strong foothold in our local markets. This campaign is the marketing muscle we need to secure our brands in consumers¼ minds."

About TwinCities.com, Kentucky.com and Real Cities:

TwinCities.com and Kentucky.com are the premier online resources for Minneapolis/St.Paul and the state of Kentucky. Both regional hubs are members of KnightRidder.com¼s Real Cities national Web network. These sites provide users local news and information including travel, health and sports channels, video commentary and interviews, shopping, classifieds, entertainment, events, community publishing, news archives, search capabilities, Internet access, free e-mail and other online offerings. The hubs include the area¼s leading local newspapers, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and the Lexington Herald-Leader.

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 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 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.

About EURO RSCG/DSW Partners:

EURO RSCG/DSW Partners¼ Intel Inside campaign was recently named as the second-best business-to-business campaign of the century. A One Show Gold Pencil winner for integrated branding, DSW Partners is ranked among the top 10 creative interactive agencies in the world. With offices in Salt Lake City and San Francisco, DSW Partners serves as a lead agency and West Coast presence for EURO RSCG Worldwide, the world¼s fifth-largest advertising network with 202 agency offices in 75 countries.

Press Contacts:

Cynthia Mallen Funnell

KnightRidder.com/Real Cities

408-938-6076

cfunnell@realcities.com

Beth Laing

651-767-8744

blaing@twincities.com

Mary Epple-Ekhoff

Kentucky.com

859-225-7575

maryee@kentucky.com

Editor¼s Note: To view radio and television advertisements on the Web download RealPlayer 8 from http://www.real.com.

TwinCities.com, Kentucky.com, Real Cities and the respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of KnightRidder.com