Contact: Eric Easter, 703.469.2763 (eric.easter@wpni.com)

(For Immediate Release)

washingtonpost.com Launches Separate
Local/National Home Pages

Arlington VA - July 14, 2005 — washingtonpost.com today announced that the popular news site will launch two distinct home pages for national/international and local users.

The new approach is in response to user studies that showed local and national/international users often have varied preferences for top news when accessing the site through its home page. Both groups look to washingtonpost.com for national and international coverage and perspective, but local users are also interested in quick access to local news, weather, traffic and entertainment.

Based on their zip code or country, registered users will receive a national or local Washington home page. However, users will have the ability to select their preferred home page, which may vary slightly or dramatically in top news emphasis based on the news of the day. Unregistered users will receive the national page as a default.

Though the home page emphasis will differ based on selection, users will continue to have full access to all content in washingtonpost.com.

Executive Editor Jim Brady said, "washingtonpost.com's unique positioning attracts two distinct groups of national and local users with distinct needs. Having two home pages gives our readers the option to quickly focus on their topics of interests."

While the print version of The Washington Post is only distributed regionally, washingtonpost.com attracts an audience that is approximately 80% national and international, and 20% local. On a monthly basis, washingtonpost.com reaches 45% of adult internet users in the Washington metro area. [Source: Scarborough Research 1/2005] The site has the highest local penetration among news sites in major US markets. [Source: NNR Local Custom Report, May 2005]

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