FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 11, 2003

Tampa Tribune Named in "10 That Do It Right" by Editor and Publisher

Richmond, Va. – The Tampa Tribune, Media General's largest newspaper, was named by Editor & Publisher magazine as one of "10 That Do It Right," in the June 2, 2003 issue.

Editor & Publisher attributes the Tribune's recent circulation gains of 5 percent daily and 6 percent Sunday to "focusing on basic newspaper operations," such as editorial expansion, sales and marketing enhancements, and aggressive circulation-building efforts in outlying markets. Acting publisher Gil Thelen credits convergence operations at the Tampa News Center for some of the gains.

"Convergence is about creativity and innovation," said Thelen after reading the Editor & Publisher article. "That energy has translated into a more enterprising, more interesting, better organized and better marketed newspaper. Those qualities are essential to grow readership," he said.

The Tampa Tribune is the second-largest newspaper on this year's list, behind The Times-Picayune of New Orleans in daily circulation and the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth, Texas in Sunday circulation. The other papers honored are the Hartford Courant, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat, The Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, the Janesville (Wis.) Gazette, and the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune.

This is the fourth year that Editor & Publisher has picked ten newspapers that "have made great strides and can serve as a model" of innovation for other papers, according to the magazine.

While this is the first time a Media General newspaper has appeared on Editor & Publisher's list, it is not the first appearance by a Media General organization on a major industry publication's top ten list. In 2001, Media Week magazine named the Tribune's television partner WFLA-TV one of "10 Stations That Do It Right."

About Media General
Media General is an independent communications company situated primarily in the Southeast with interests in newspapers, television stations, interactive media and diversified information services. The company's publishing assets include The Tampa Tribune, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Winston-Salem Journal and 22 other daily newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, as well as nearly 100 other periodicals and a 20 percent interest in The Denver Post. Media General's 26 network-affiliated television stations reach more than 30 percent of the television households in the Southeast, and nearly 8 percent of those in the United States. The company's extensive interactive media offerings include more than 50 online enterprises. Media General also has a 33 percent interest in SP Newsprint Co., which operates newsprint mills in Dublin, Ga., and Newberg, Ore.