Meredith Corporation's Local Media Group Teams Up with DataSphere to Deliver Local Event Information and Small Business Marketing Solutions in 10 US Cities

DES MOINES, Iowa and NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Meredith Corporation's (NYSE:MDP) Local Media Group and DataSphere Technologies, the leading provider of hyperlocal web technology and sales solutions for media companies, today announced the launch of new events calendars and specialized small business marketing solutions in 10 markets across the US including Atlanta, Phoenix, Nashville and Kansas City.  Featuring over 110,000 upcoming events, these calendars are integrated into the Meredith TV station websites to provide a comprehensive source for local events and activities in their respective markets. In parallel, DataSphere is providing Meredith with a turnkey technology platform and sales team to provide small local businesses with the opportunity to advertise to neighborhood-level audiences across Meredith's TV station websites.

The stations featuring the new events calendar and marketing solutions are: WGCL-TV (CBS), Atlanta; KPHO-TV (CBS), Phoenix, AZ; KPTV (FOX), Portland, OR; WFSB-TV (CBS), Hartford-New Haven, CT; WSMV-TV (NBC), Nashville, TN; KCTV (CBS), Kansas City, MO; WHNS-TV (FOX), Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC-Asheville, NC; WNEM-TV (CBS), Flint-Saginaw, MI; KVVU-TV (FOX), Las Vegas, NV and WSHM, (CBS) Springfield, MA.

"DataSphere has provided us with a simple and effective solution to improve the experience of visitors to our sites, while also opening up an entirely new advertiser base for our stations," stated Thomas Cox, Vice President of Digital Sales for Meredith's Local media Group. "We're looking forward to working closely with them to continue extending our leadership in local content and advertising."

DataSphere's event calendar is the most complete source of local event listings and now reaches over 27 million people each month across 45 US cities. It provides the ability for visitors to submit events for free or easily find events by neighborhood, event type or specific timeframe. An example of the events calendar can be found at http://events.wfsb.com/.

Similarly, DataSphere's technology platform and sales service is the only end-to-end solution for media companies looking for a rapidly implementable, turnkey mechanism to address the massive small business advertising market. With partnerships covering over 85 US markets and more than 45% of the population, the revenue potential of DataSphere's unique approach to engaging small local businesses has been firmly established.

"Meredith's Local Media Group is one of the premier local media networks in the US, so we are excited to be working with them to deliver a compelling new service for consumers and small businesses in their markets," said Satbir Khanuja, CEO of DataSphere. "Based on our success in working with other local media companies and advertisers, we know that the combination of their strong local brand and content assets, along with our technology and small business sales know-how will deliver great results."

About Meredith Local Media Group:

Meredith Corporation (www.meredith.com) is one of the nation's leading media and marketing companies with core competencies in magazine and book publishing, television broadcasting, integrated marketing and interactive media. Meredith owns 12 television stations that reach nearly 10 percent of television households across the country. Meredith's Local Media assets include: WGCL-TV (CBS), Atlanta; KPHO-TV (CBS), Phoenix, AZ; KPTV (FOX) and KPDX-TV (MYN), Portland, OR; WFSB-TV (CBS), Hartford-New Haven, CT; WSMV-TV (NBC), Nashville, TN; KCTV (CBS) and KSMO (MYN), Kansas City, MO; WHNS-TV (FOX), Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC-Asheville, NC; WNEM-TV (CBS), Flint-Saginaw, MI; KVVU-TV (FOX), Las Vegas, NV; WSHM, (CBS) Springfield, MA; and radio station WNEM-AM in Saginaw-Bay City, MI.

About DataSphere Technologies:

DataSphere Technologies, Inc.  (www.DataSphere.com) is the leading Web technology and hyperlocal ad sales company focused on generating online profits for media companies including Gannett, Meredith Corporation (NYSE:MDP), Raycom Media, Local TV LLC, Fisher Communications and Hubbard Broadcasting. DataSphere powers 1,300 neighborhood websites covering over 40% of the US population and offers a range of turnkey solutions to rapidly improve website monetization and visitor experience with minimal investment of time and money. DataSphere's solutions also incorporate broadcast TV content and process knowledge provided by its strategic partner Fisher Communications. The company is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, USA and led by a team of Internet veterans with backgrounds from Amazon.com, IMDb, Microsoft, RealNetworks and AltaVista.

SOURCE DataSphere Technologies, Inc.