ADVO And Southern Connecticut Newspapers Inc. To Begin Joint Advertising Distribution Program.

Business Editors

WINDSOR, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 21, 2000

ADVO, Inc. (NYSE: AD) today announced it has formed an alliance with Southern Connecticut Newspapers, Inc. ("SCNI"), publisher of The ADVOCATE and Greenwich Time, to offer clients an integrated advertising solution which combines targeted direct mail with newspaper distribution. The new joint program will cover geographies in Southern Connecticut currently served by The ADVOCATE and Greenwich Time newspapers, including Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, New Canaan, and Norwalk. The weekly program will begin in mid-February, and the combined advertising package will be distributed on the weekend to align with both companies' existing in-home dates.

Gary Mulloy, ADVO's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer said, "We are extremely pleased to announce this new alliance with SCNI. The combined advertising program will enhance the efficiency and content of our targeted advertising offerings in Southern Connecticut, benefiting clients and consumers alike."

Durham Monsma, SCNI's Publisher and Chief Executive Officer added, "We are excited about the benefits the new blended advertising platform will provide our combined client base. By utilizing newspaper and direct mail distribution, the new program will enable us to offer the most effective and efficient saturation advertising vehicle possible."

SCNI is the leading newspaper group in southwestern Fairfield County, Conn. The ADVOCATE and Greenwich Time serve a market where annual median income is upwards of $115,000 - the highest nationwide. SCNI is an operating unit of Tribune Company, a leading media company with businesses in 23 major US markets including 18 of the top 30. Through its television and radio broadcasting, publishing and interactive operations, Tribune reaches nearly 80 percent of US households daily, with $6 billion in annual revenues and more than 28,000 employees. Fortune ranked Tribune for the third straight year No. 1 among its industry peers in Fortune magazine's list of most-admired companies in the US. SCNI's corporate offices are located at 75 Tresser Boulevard, Stamford, Connecticut 06094. Both publications can be visited on-line at www.stamfordadvocate.com and www.greenwichtime.com.

ADVO is the nation's largest full-service targeted direct mail marketing services company with annual revenues of over $1 billion. The Company's core ShopWise branded shared mail program is distributed nationally to approximately 60 million households weekly. Approximately 30 million additional households can be reached, on a shared mail basis, through ADVO's National Network Extension (A.N.N.E.). Additionally, the Company's consumer web site, ShopWise.com, provides targeted Internet access to consumers. ADVO's subsidiary, MailCoups, Inc., produces Super Coups, a direct mail-based advertising solution for local neighborhood businesses in an envelope format. ADVO's corporate headquarters are located at One Univac Lane, Windsor, Connecticut 06095. The Company can be visited at its web site at www.advo.com.

The forward-looking statements in this report are based upon current information and expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties in the Company's operations and business environment. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, changes in customer demand and pricing, the possibility of consolidation throughout the retail sector, postal and paper prices, the efficiencies achieved with technology upgrades, and other general economic factors.