Lee Enterprises Newspapers Showcase Advertising Supplements

February 4, 2008
DAVENPORT, Iowa, Feb 04, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- As their print and online audiences have continued to expand, newspapers in Lee Enterprises, Incorporated (NYSE: LEE), are launching a companywide promotional campaign to extend the effectiveness of advertising supplements.

Mary Junck, Lee chairman and chief executive officer, said the Lee Preprint Power Program will promote advertising supplements that appear in the newspaper at least once a week. It will include run-of-paper ads, newsstand displays, online promotion and reader interactions such as a "Take Me Shopping" contest.

"Advertising sections have always commanded an intense following," she said, "but we know we can drive readership even further by harnessing the promotional power of our newspapers and online sites to target passive shoppers and further engage our new audiences."

The latest market research shows that Lee newspapers and their online sites have continued to expand their audiences. "On average in our largest markets, we reach 71 percent of all adults, compared with 67 percent a year ago," Junck said. "No competitor comes anywhere close, and in our smaller markets we know our strength is even greater."

Paul Farrell, Lee vice president for sales and marketing, said Lee newspapers reach more than three-fourths of the people who shop at the stores of such advertisers.

"Readers love advertising supplements in their newspaper, and in recent conversations, industry leaders universally emphasized how much they continue to rely on preprints as a vital part of their advertising programs," he said. "As a result, it became clear that we can capitalize even more on this key part of our newspapers."

Farrell said regular preprint advertisers will be automatically included in the campaign at no cost. "We regard this promotion as another example of how we're continually looking for ways to drive business for our advertisers," he said.

Lee Enterprises is a premier publisher of local news, information and advertising in primarily midsize markets, with 50 daily newspapers and a joint interest in five others, rapidly growing online sites and more than 300 weekly newspapers and specialty publications in 23 states. Lee's newspapers have circulation of 1.6 million daily and 1.9 million Sunday, reaching more than four million readers daily. Lee's online sites attract nearly 12 million unique visitors monthly, and Lee's weekly publications have distribution of more than 4.5 million households. Lee's markets include St. Louis, Mo.; Lincoln, Neb.; Madison, Wis.; Bloomington, Ill.; Davenport, Iowa; Billings, Mont.; and Napa, Calif. Lee stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol LEE. For more information about Lee, please visit www.lee.net.

SOURCE:
Lee Enterprises, Incorporated

Lee Enterprises Incorporated
Dan Hayes, 563-383-2100
dan.hayes@lee.net