Central Newspapers reports revenues for four weeks ended October 27, 1996.

INDIANAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 14, 1996--Central Newspapers, Inc. today announced an increase of 8.2% in revenues for the four weeks ended October 27, 1996 compared with the four weeks ended October 22, 1995. Full run-of-press (ROP) advertising linage for the fiscal month was up 2.2% compared with the prior year. -0-

                                        Revenue               % of
                                     (In Thousands)           Change
                                        Unaudited             From
                                   1996           1995     Prior Year

         Current period         $  50,566      $  46,720     +8.2%
         Year-to-date           $ 500,198      $ 461,578     +8.4%

    Central Newspapers is a media company that publishes daily, Sunday
and weekly newspapers including the Arizona Republic and The Phoenix
Gazette; The Indianapolis Star, The Indianapolis News, Muncie Star
Press, as well as smaller community papers in Indiana, and the
Alexandria Daily Town Talk in Louisiana.  It is the 11th largest
publicly traded U.S. newspaper company in terms of circulation.
-0-

PERIOD REVENUE AND STATISTICAL REPORT
(Unaudited)

                       FOUR WEEKS ENDED            43 WEEKS ENDED
                       October  October   %         Year-to-Date        %
                         27,      22,
                        1996     1995   Change     1996       1995    Change


CONSOLIDATED REVENUES - NET:
 (in thousands)
Advertising           $39,595   $36,569   8.3%   $384,157   $354,097   8.5%
Circulation            10,382     9,924   4.6%    110,452    104,452   5.7%
Other                     589       227 159.6%      5,589      3,033  84.3%
 Total                 50,566(a) 46,720   8.2%    500,198(a) 461,578   8.4%

AVERAGE PAID CIRCULATION:
Phoenix:
 Morning              403,962   376,424   7.3%    404,044    387,378   4.3%
 Evening               40,104   65,689  -38.9%     50,999     73,777 -30.9%
 Sunday               584,092  572,319    2.1%    582,044    584,318  -0.4%

Indianapolis:
 Morning              230,776  227,197    1.6%    230,126    226,451   1.6%
 Evening               49,365   67,751  -27.1%     55,726     74,700 -25.4%
 Sunday               399,234  399,189    0.0%    403,268    397,639   1.4%

ADVERTISING LINAGE FOR MAJOR
DAILIES: (thousands of inches)
Full run ROP:
 Retail                 261.4    286.6   -8.8%    2,561.6    2,729.6  -6.2%
 National                40.5     22.8   77.6%      341.7      233.9  46.1%
 Classified             313.2    292.2    7.2%    3,105.5    2,942.1   5.6%
  Total                 615.1    601.6    2.2%    6,008.8    5,905.6   1.7%

 Part run ROP           166.0    183.1   -9.3%    1,780.4    1,894.7  -6.0%

FULL RUN LINAGE FOR
MAJOR MARKETS:
 Phoenix                366.7    357.9    2.5%    3,650.4    3,597.1   1.5%
 Indianapolis           248.4    243.7    1.9%    2,358.4    2,308.5   2.2%
  Total                 615.1    601.6    2.2%    6,008.8    5,905.6   1.7%

NUMBER OF PREPRINTS
DISTRIBUTED               428      439   -2.5%      4,253      4,354  -2.3%

(a) Amounts include $1.4 million in the 1996 four week period and
$11.8 million in the 1996 year to date period of revenues from the
acquisition of the Alexandria Daily Town Talk which occurred in March
1996.

CONTACT: ARTHUR SCHMIDT & ASSOCIATES, INC.

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