DENVER, CO. - July 15, 2002 | Knight Ridder Digital, founder and operator of the Real Cities network of city and regional web sites announced at the Newspaper Association of America's annual Connections conference that SignOnSanDiego.com, the website of The San Diego Union-Tribune has joined the Real Cities Network. In addition, NorthJersey.com, the website of the North Jersey Media Group in Bergen County, New Jersey, has returned as a network affiliate. With the addition of the San Diego and northern New Jersey sites, the Real Cities Network now covers 56 U.S. markets - including 18 of the nation's top 25 markets.
The addition of the rapidly growing San Diego site strengthens the network's coverage in southern California, complementing its existing strengths in the San Francisco region and along the central California coast. "At SignOnSanDiego.com, we're exceptionally focused on growth, having successfully doubled traffic and users over the last year. Joining the Real Cities Network will bring us even more new visitors from across the U.S. and enable us to participate in significant national advertising campaigns," said Chris Jennewein, director of Internet operations at SignOnSanDiego.com.
Adding to an already-strong presence in the northeast is NorthJersey.com the award-winning site of North Jersey Media Group Inc. "We are excited to be re-joining Real Cities," said Howard Goldstein, VP, Internet Division. "The network offers access to certain content and national advertising buys that would not be available to us without it."
"Growing Real Cities continues to be an important initiative for us. Real Cities today is the largest network of local and city guides in the country, reaching over 12 million loyal and engaged online users. The addition of the San Diego and northern Jersey markets increases our reach in the important southern California and New York metropolitan markets," said Hilary Schneider, CEO of Knight Ridder Digital.
About Knight Ridder Digital and Real Cities:
Knight Ridder Digital, a leader in local information and classified services on the Web, helps consumers make the most of their local online experiences on the Internet. Knight Ridder Digital develops and manages the Internet properties of Knight Ridder, the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher. Knight Ridder Digital is the founder and operator of Real Cities, the largest national network of city and regional Web sites. For more on Knight Ridder Digital visit (www.knightridderdigital.com) or for more on Real Cities visit (www.realcities.com).
About The San Diego Union - Tribune and SignOnSanDiego.com:
SignOnSanDiego.com is the website of The San Diego Union-Tribune. With 20 million page views and more than 600,000 unique viewers each month, SignOnSanDiego.com is the leading online source for local news, entertainment and classifieds information in San Diego. The San Diego Union-Tribune, San Diego's oldest employer has a daily circulation of more than 370,000, and Sunday sales topping 440,000. In addition, the Union-Tribune publishes Enlace, a Spanish-language news publication serving San Diego's substantial Latino population and neighboring Tijuana, Mexico.
About North Jersey Media Group and NorthJersey.com:
NorthJersey.com is a division of North Jersey Media Group Inc., whose other divisions include The Record, Herald News, and 29 weekly newspapers and specialty publications serving northern New Jersey. NorthJersey.com, in conjunction with The Record, Herald News and other sources, provides the north Jersey Internet community with local news, sports, entertainment, online classifieds, and access to information about the region's major hospitals and health care providers. NorthJersey.com has also been a pioneer in building online communities throughout the region.
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