The Weather Channel is Named Premier Weather Provider for USA TODAY Newspapers; Weather Content to be Available In Print, Online and On Air Via USA TODAY.

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2002

Two of the nation's most respected media brands have joined forces to provide consumers around the world with the leading news and weather information.

The Weather Channel(R) (TWC), the nation's leading provider of weather information, and USA TODAY, the largest circulation daily newspaper in America, announce a multi-media partnership to offer consumers weather content in print, online and on air. As of January 21, TWC will be the premier weather forecast provider for both USA TODAY domestic and international editions. Additionally, The Weather Channel staff of 125 professional meteorologists will serve as USA TODAY's key resource for outside weather expertise, in print and online at USATODAY.com.

The network's Web site, weather.com, will deliver the latest weather data for 80,000 locations worldwide on USATODAY.com. This will include 5-day forecasts, current conditions and various radar, satellite and forecast maps. USA TODAY will also feature links to weather.com's popular lifestyle content, such as golf, ski and travel, which will be updated seasonally.

Weather coverage in the print version of USA TODAY will include highs and lows for designated cities on the national map, a collection of maps including national forecast maps for the next five days, radar and satellite maps, frost and freeze, heat index and more. The international editions of USA TODAY, edited for U.S. citizens traveling overseas, will continue to include information on highs and lows for designated European cities and international weather maps. In addition, The Weather Channel and USA TODAY will share weather content and resources for coverage of the Salt Lake Olympics in February, 2002.

"We are excited about our new partnership with The Weather Channel because we anticipate a collaborative relationship with their meteorologists and USA TODAY's weather staff," said Karen Jurgensen, editor of USA TODAY. "This relationship will benefit USA TODAY readers by giving them national weather information with longer range forecasting. And, television viewers will receive news from our reporters."

"We are very pleased to partner with USA TODAY because they understand the emotional connection consumers have with the weather," said Terry Connelly, senior vice president, programming and production at The Weather Channel. "For the past 20 years, both USA TODAY and The Weather Channel have individually been committed to delivering relevant information that makes a difference in people's lives. Now, this partnership enables us to extend The Weather Channel brand, reaching new consumers, new advertisers and media partners."

Jeff Webber, senior vice president and publisher of USATODAY.com, commented, "We are delighted to partner with The Weather Channel to give USATODAY.com readers the most up-to-date weather information available." He said the partnership "joins two leading media brands together to give consumers and advertisers an even greater media value."

Additionally, USA TODAY LIVE, the newspaper's television production arm, will produce USA TODAY-branded and weather-related business stories for TWC programs, such as "First Outlook," the early-morning information show, airing at 5 a.m. - 7 a.m., Eastern Time.

Another aspect of the partnership offers the opportunity for Gannett's twenty-two television stations to share coverage of breaking weather events with The Weather Channel cable network. To introduce the all-weather network's viewers to the value of this concept, an explanatory 45-second story package will debut on The Weather Channel January 21.

About The Weather Channel

The Weather Channel, a 24-hour weather network, is seen in more than 80 million U.S. households, and 9.2 million households in Latin America. Its Web site, weather.com, attracts over 350 million page views per month, and is consistently ranked among the top TV-related Web sites by Nielsen/NetRatings. TWC also operates The Weather Channel Radio Network, The Weather Channel Newspaper Services, weather.com/espanol, weather.com/brasil, and is the leading weather information provider for emerging technologies. This includes broadband and ITV applications, with wireless weather products accessible through high-speed Internet services, phones, pagers, Palm Pilots, and other personal digital assistants. The Weather Channel is owned by Landmark Communications, Inc., a Norfolk, Virginia based, privately held media company.

About USA TODAY

USA TODAY is the nation's top-selling newspaper. It is published via satellite at 36 locations in the USA and at five sites abroad. With a total average daily paid circulation of 2.3 million, USA TODAY is available worldwide. The newspaper is published by Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI).

USATODAY.com is an award-winning news and information Web site. More than 25 million monthly visitors experience comprehensive, convenient USA TODAY news and information through interactive features information graphics and multimedia functions including audio, video and live Webcasts. USATODAY.com has more than 200,000 pages of breaking stories in News, Money, Sports, Life, Technology, and Weather - updated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For more information, please visit www.usatoday.com.