Los Angeles Times Media Group and Valassis Enhance Joint Advertising Insert Distribution Network

LOS ANGELES and LIVONIA, Mich., Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) and Valassis (NYSE: VCI) , the nation's leading marketing services company, have strengthened their innovative joint preprint insert distribution program, which currently reaches approximately 5 million households throughout the Los Angeles DMA via shared mail, and carrier delivery to Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Newspaper Group (LANG) subscribers. For the first time, the program will expand to include a Spanish-language publication, offering targeted reach of select Southern California Latino households. Also, the in-home delivery date will strategically shift from Thursday/Friday to Friday/Saturday to better respond to consumer interests and advertiser needs.

Beginning February 1, 2008, LATMG's Hoy Fin de Semana (FDS) will be integrated into the late-week preprint program. Approximately 500,000 of the shared mail shopLocal/RedPlum (previously known as ShopWise(R)) wrap and preprint packages will be inserted into FDS and converted to Saturday home doorstep delivery aimed at Latino communities. FDS's current 350,000 distribution base will increase to 500,000 accordingly and the move will provide advertisers with an unprecedented opportunity to have great impact with an unduplicated buy, selectable at the sub-zip (ATZ) level. In addition, Hoy Fin de Semana's reputation as the trusted editorial voice for Spanish-dominant households ensures the finely targeted audience will receive the preprint package via a publication on which they already rely for lifestyle, entertainment and shopping information.

"Joining the engaging content and targeted audience reach of Hoy Fin de Semana with the breadth of the successful Valassis/Los Angeles Times/LANG network will be a great thing for consumers and advertisers," said The Times' publisher David D. Hiller

In addition, Los Angeles Newspaper Group's (LANG) Daily Breeze will join the program, serving the beach city communities of Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, Torrance and the Palos Verdes Peninsula, among others.

"Our commitment to the strengthening of this innovative, joint preprint insert distribution program is a logical step in the penetration of this critical arena in the marketing landscape," said William Blackmer, Valassis Senior Vice President, Strategic Sourcing. "We are very pleased to continue building our relationships with the Los Angeles Times and MediaNews Group in this important growth market."

shopLocal/RedPlum, combining inserts from leading retailers across the region into a package with rich content and consumer appeal will be sold independently by each organization. The late week delivery date conversion will now better align with the needs of both advertisers and readers. In addition, sophisticated analysis and methodology provide unduplicated distribution reach amongst Los Angeles Times subscribers, LANG households, FDS readers and mail channels.

About Valassis

Valassis is the nation's leading marketing services company, offering unparalleled reach and scale to more than 15,000 advertisers. Its RedPlum portfolio delivers value on a weekly basis to over 100 million shoppers across a multi-media platform -- in-home, in-store and in-motion. Through its newest offering -- redplum.com -- consumers will find compelling national and local deals online. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan with approximately 7,000 associates in 29 states and nine countries, Valassis is widely recognized for its associate and corporate citizenship programs, including its Have You Seen Me?(R) missing child program. Valassis companies include Valassis Direct Mail, Inc., Valassis Canada, Promotion Watch, Valassis Relationship Marketing, LLC and NCH Marketing Services, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.valassis.com or http://www.redplum.com.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 2.2 million and 3.2 million on Sunday. With 38 Pulitzer Prizes in the paper's history, the Los Angeles Times and its media businesses -- including latimes.com, The Envelope, Metromix, Times Community Newspapers, Hoy, and California Community News -- reach approximately 8.1 million or 62% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace.

The Los Angeles Times, has been covering Southern California for over 125 years and is part of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) , one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information about the Los Angeles Times is available at http://www.latimes.com/mediacenter.

About Hoy

Hoy is the leading Spanish-language newspaper with daily editions in Los Angeles and Chicago. Hoy Los Angeles belongs to the Los Angeles Times Media Group. Along with Hoy's weekend publication, Hoy Fin de Semana, Hoy publications have a gross weekly distribution of more than 1,375,000 copies nationwide. Hoy's editorial mission is to provide Latinos with engaging, entertaining news and information to help them build successful lives, serve as their advocate and provide a link to their culture. For more information about Hoy, please visit http://www.hoyinternet.com.

About Los Angeles Newspaper Group

The Los Angeles Newspaper Group serves the Greater Los Angeles and San Bernardino County areas with nine daily newspapers including the Los Angeles Daily News, the Long Beach Press-Telegram, Whittier Daily News, the Pasadena Star-News, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, the Redlands Daily Facts, the Daily Breeze and the San Bernardino County Sun. The Los Angeles Newspaper Group also publishes ImpactoUSA, the area's largest ABC audited home delivered Spanish language newspaper, and numerous weekly newspapers including the Highlander newspapers, the Grunion Gazette, the Beach Reporter and the Palos Verdes Peninsula News and as well as managing and producing 16 websites in addition to the areas premier entertainment and travel site, LA.com.