PALO ALTO, Calif.--(TOPIX.NET )--May 23, 2006--The Associated Press has entered into a 15-month agreement with news aggregator Topix.net aimed at increasing the flow of Internet traffic to member newspapers that contribute breaking news to the AP.
Under the arrangement, AP will work with Topix.net to guide the news aggregator's zip-code search engine to the most authoritative sources of breaking news stories across the country. AP will identify for Topix.net the stories that local newspapers contribute to AP so that the search engine can link to them. Newspapers that don't wish to participate can opt out. Topix.net will also use its NewsRank(TM) technology to tag AP-originated content with the identity of the most geographically relevant member publication, for use on its own site, as well as providing that locality information back to the AP.
The licensing and distribution agreement between AP Digital, the commercial online division of the AP, and Topix.net , an online news aggregator and search engine with majority shareholders Gannett Co., Inc., Knight Ridder, Inc., and Tribune Company, also provides Topix.net with access to the AP Online service and AP photos.
"AP and its members need to be actively engaged with the changing dynamics of the Internet," said Tom Curley, president and CEO of The Associated Press. "The AP Board agreed that working with a company that enjoys industry oversight will give us more insight into readership patterns online as well as provide better links for readers to the real sources of breaking news."
"Working with the AP and becoming part of its vision of how to extend its members' reach onto the Internet, and create a 21st century news experience, is very exciting for me and everyone at Topix.net ," said Rich Skrenta, CEO of Topix.net . "We've found many areas to work together, and are very pleased that the AP is taking a long-term approach to its news, its members, and the Internet."
About AP Digital
AP Digital is the division of The Associated Press that provides news and information to Web sites, wireless operators, corporate and government desktops, information distributors and other commercial and new media applications. For more information, visit www.apdigitalnews.com .
About Topix.net
Founded in 2002 with the specific mission of providing users with the ability to quickly and easily find targeted news on the Internet, Topix.net is a news aggregator with unique technology to find and categorize news into 360,000 topics, from Autos to ZIP code level local news. Topix.net is a privately held company with equal investment from Gannett Co., Inc.(NYSE: GCI), Knight Ridder, Inc.(NYSE: KRI) and Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB). Topix.net distributes content via partnerships with top tier web properties including AOL, Earthlink, Ask, My Yahoo, Infospace and thousands of others.
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