NBC News' TheGrio.com Partners With Interactive One's NewsOne.com to Create The Premier African-American Digital News Alliance With the Widest Audience Reach

NEW YORK, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- NBC News and Interactive One announced a partnership this week that will form the premier African-American digital news alliance with the widest audience reach in the industry. This unprecedented partnership leverages complementary assets from NBC News' TheGrio.com and Interactive One's NewsOne.com to create an expanded platform for African-American journalism. Based on comScore measurement, the combined net audience of NewsOne and TheGrio was 2.1 million in May 2011, up from 661,500 in May 2010. As the online usage of Black Americans continues to grow, this digital alliance between TheGrio and NewsOne presents a new opportunity to better connect, inform and engage the African-American audience.

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Under the partnership that went into effect July 1st, 2011, TheGrio.com and NewsOne.com will coordinate and share editorial content for both websites, and Interactive One will provide sales representation and oversee advertising sales operations for both entities. The relationship also opens up the potential for co-marketing and promotional opportunities in a shared portfolio that includes Interactive One's various digital assets, Radio One's 52 radio stations, TV One and Reach Media, and the many platforms of NBC News.

"With the African-American audience representing one of the fastest growing consumer segments online, this partnership is a huge growth opportunity for both TheGrio and NewsOne," said NBC News President Steve Capus. "This is a smart play for both sides as we combine the best of these two platforms to enhance African-American journalism."

"With a focus on connecting Black America, Interactive One's relationship with its user communities makes it an invaluable partner for TheGrio as we look to expand the reach of our trusted news content," said David Wilson, managing editor of TheGrio.com. "We'll be able to connect with audiences and customers that we've never been able to reach before."

"This relationship provides an unprecedented offering and opportunity in the digital news space," said Tom Newman, President of Interactive One.  "Bringing NBC News' high quality journalism together with Interactive One's deep focus on the African-American audience allows us to better cover the issues and stories that matter to them."

"Our access to the most engaged African-American audience online, combined with NBC News' high quality journalism expertise is a recipe for not only exceptional content for a broader audience, but also more compelling product offerings for advertisers," said Keith Bowen, Chief Revenue Officer of Interactive One. "This partnership will create marketing opportunities that are yet unseen in the African-American digital space."

About TheGrio.com

TheGrio.com, a division of NBC News, is a daily online news and opinion platform devoted to delivering stories and perspectives that reflect and affect African-American audiences. The video-centric interactive community is populated with both aggregated and original content on topics ranging from breaking news and politics to health, business, and entertainment.

About Interactive One

Interactive One has more than 15 million members and reaches millions of Black Americans each month. With approximately 3 billion annual page views on its suite of sites, the company has become the definitive social network for Black America through BlackPlanet, as well as a number of leading content sites.  These sites include: NewsOne (www.NewsOne.com), which provides up to the minute, comprehensive coverage of newsworthy events relevant to Black Americans across the country and the world; TheUrbanDaily (www.TheUrbanDaily.com), the eyes and ears for Black Americans looking for what's hot online, on the airwaves, in theaters, and on the street; HelloBeautiful (www.HelloBeautiful.com), the definitive lifestyle resource for today's Black woman; and Elev8 (www.Elev8.com) a site devoted to elevating the mind, body and spirit.

Interactive One was launched by Radio One in 2008 to complement Radio One's existing portfolio of media companies targeting the African American community. Since its launch, Interactive One has quickly become the #1 online platform for the African American community.  Interactive One is powered by the mission to create an online community that engages and positively impacts the lives of African Americans.

SOURCE Interactive One