Cars.com Hosts Free Webinar to Help Dealers Manage Their Online Reputation.

CHICAGO -- Cars.com (www.cars.com) announced today a webinar focused on helping dealers leverage what customers say about them online to boost sales and improve their operations. The free, hour-long event, "Managing Your Reputation in the Online Age," begins at noon EDT on March 14. It is part of Cars.com's monthly DealerADvantage LIVE webinar series.

"With the rise of social media and consumer-generated content online, word of mouth is gaining steam. Car shoppers now have a broad platform from which they can share opinions and influence others' buying decisions," said Dennis Galbraith, Cars.com vice president of dealer products and training. "What's being said about a dealership online can either drive sales or divert buyers, making it more important than ever for dealers to monitor, manage and influence the conversation."

Led by Cars.com automotive consultant and training manager Kathy Kimmel, the webinar will look at the growing importance of consumer feedback online and will give dealers tips for proactively monitoring and managing the conversation. Kimmel will be joined by John H. Isaac, CEO of MyDealerReport.com and a panel of leading dealers who will discuss how to:

* Monitor what's being said online about your store

* Respond to both positive and negative comments

* Share online feedback with your staff to recognize success and correct mistakes as needed 

* Influence the online conversation by encouraging customers to leave online feedback about their experience with your store

* Turn your online reputation into a selling tool

"Just as car buyers look to the internet for information on which vehicle best meets their needs, they're also looking for guidance on the dealership that will provide the professional service they want," said Kimmel. "Savvy dealers understand they can contribute positively to online word of mouth and use it to differentiate their stores from their competitors."

Dealers interested in attending or learning more about this month's DealerADvantage LIVE webinar may visit Cars.com's DealerCenter at http://dealers.cars.com/live, where they can register to attend the event and view archived recordings of past events. Thousands of franchise and independent dealers have attended DealerADvantage LIVE since Cars.com launched the webinar series in 2006. Dealers do not have to be Cars.com customers to join the webinar, but they must download free WebEx software (http://www.webex.com) to participate. In addition to DealerADvantage LIVE, Cars.com offers a comprehensive dealer training program that includes in-market and web-based training workshops. Information on upcoming events can be found in at http://www.dealers.cars.com/dealer_resources.php.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of site visitors in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).