Coastal South Yellow Book Set to Serve South Florida; Consumers Poised to Reap Benefits of Yellow Pages Alternative in Fort Lauderdale Metropolitan Area.

Business Editors

UNIONDALE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 29, 2003

Fort Lauderdale-area consumers are set to get a better and more comprehensive alternative to their current phonebook, courtesy of Yellow Book USA.

The new Coastal South Yellow Book will cover the area currently served by three separate BellSouth directories and will offer tremendous convenience to area residents with thorough information about the entire area in one, easy-to-use directory.

The new directory will include business yellow and white page listings, coupons, maps, restaurant menus and community and government information for the entire Fort Lauderdale area, including the towns of Pompano Beach, North Lauderdale, Oakland Park, Pembroke Park, Hollywood, Hallandale and Aventura.

Unlike the BellSouth directories which cover areas running east to west, the new Coastal South Yellow Book will cover the area running north to south along the Florida coast which better matches consumer shopping and commuting patterns.

The new Coastal South Yellow Book will compliment the smaller Yellow Book community directories in the area. More than 400,000 directories will be delivered free to residents and businesses early next year.

"Consumers will now get a better alternative to the phone company's directory since our book provides broader coverage and is full of convenience items like coupons and menus," said Joe Walsh, president and CEO of Yellow Book USA. "Consumers love the convenience factors we build into our books. Simply put, we offer a more user-friendly, comprehensive product."

The oldest competitive yellow pages publisher in the United States, Yellow Book now publishes in more states than any other yellow pages publisher.

Yellow Book USA is an innovative industry leader, producing books that are easier to use and provide a full range of convenient features including larger print, area maps, zip code information, coupons, restaurant menus and a comprehensive listing of community services.

"Plus, the cost savings to advertisers is clear," said Walsh, "Yellow Book's rates are nearly half those BellSouth has been charging businesses in the area."

Businesses in the Coastal South area can anticipate successful results similar to those enjoyed by other local Yellow Book advertisers:

-- Stanley Steemer received an average of 135 calls per month from February through May 2001 as a result of their ad in the Boca Raton West Yellow Book

-- Boston's on the Beach received an average of 174 calls per month from January 2001 through April 2001 as a result of their ads in the Boca Raton East Yellow Book and Delray Beach Yellow Book

-- "The ads I run in seven Yellow Book directories are my main source of advertising and my phone rings off the hook! I love the results; I've received a tremendous return on my investment." - Howard Schloss, president/owner, Designer Window Fashions, Inc.

Established in l930, Yellow Book USA is the oldest independent yellow pages publisher in the nation. In recent years, Yellow Book has made a number of strategic acquisitions and entered scores of new markets.

The 2002 acquisitions of McLeodUSA's telephone directory publishing unit and the National Directory Company have extended Yellow Book's presence into 40 states and the District of Columbia, more states than any other U.S. yellow pages publisher. Yellow Book currently publishes nearly 600 directories with a circulation of 71 million.