PRIMEDIA Launches San Diego Auto Guide - Continues West Coast Expansion - MS:"Watch Out Auto Trader"
NEW YORK--June 23, 2005--PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides, the country's leading publisher and distributor of apartment, new home and auto guides, today announced the launch of San Diego Auto Guide. San Diego Auto Guide is a free, weekly color publication featuring comprehensive listings of used cars, SUVs and trucks for sale by dealerships in the greater San Diego region. PRIMEDIA launched the Orange County Auto Guide earlier this year and now publishes two guides in California, the nation's largest automotive market.The Auto Guide's continued expansion in major market areas across the country is driven by PRIMEDIA's operating experience in the consumer guides business, its financial strength and the reach of its distribution arm, DistribuTech. The ideal platform for rapid growth in new markets, DistribuTech controls distribution through exclusive agreements with many of the largest and best known retailers in the area.
San Diego, a large and rapidly growing automotive market, is another step toward complete nationwide coverage for the Auto Guide business. According to the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA), California has twice as many new and used cars on the road than Florida, the nation's second largest auto market, and with a healthy growth rate of licensed drivers, the demand for innovative automotive advertising is high.
"Our continued expansion into California furthers our goal of broad, national distribution," said Bob Metz, chief executive officer, PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides. "In this year alone, we have launched four auto guides in large, expansive markets, increasing our presence across the country. Our growth is calculated, as we spend significant amounts of time working with our auto dealer customers in order to provide them with the best advertising solution available. We are excited about the San Diego launch and look forward to bringing our services and expertise to other large markets."
The San Diego Auto Guide is PRIMEDIA's seventh Auto Guide in publication. More than 25,000 copies of the guide will be distributed each week to over 1,200 locations across San Diego, including all Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, Stater Bros., 7-11 and Sav-on Drugstore locations. The guide will also be available online at www.sdautoguides.com.
About PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides
PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides is the largest publisher and distributor of apartment, new home and auto guides. The segment publishes and distributes 81 Apartment Guides in 75 regional markets with a combined monthly circulation of 1.6 million. Through the Apartment Guides and Apartmentguide.com, the company generated nearly 1 million leases for apartment property managers in 2004. Consumer Guides' New Home Guide offers consumers comprehensive information about new home communities in 25 regional markets. Its newest publication, Auto Guide, features comprehensive and easy to use listings of used cars, SUVs and trucks for sale by auto dealerships in Metropolitan Atlanta, three North Carolina markets, Orange County and San Diego. The company's distribution arm, DistribuTech, has exclusive distribution relationships with many of the country's leading supermarkets and chain stores and last year distributed more than 2,000 separate publications to these venues on behalf of other publishing organizations.
About PRIMEDIA
PRIMEDIA (PRM) is the leading targeted media company in the United States. With 2004 revenue of $1.3 billion, our properties comprise more than 200 brands that connect buyers and sellers in more markets than any other media company through our print publications, Web sites, events, newsletters and video programs in four business segments: Enthusiast Media, Consumer Guides, Business Information, and Education. PRIMEDIA Enthusiast Media includes more than 120 consumer magazines, with well-known brands such as Motor Trend, Automobile, Creating Keepsakes, In-Fisherman, Power & Motoryacht, Hot Rod, Snowboarder, Stereophile and Surfer. PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides is the #1 publisher and distributor of free consumer guides, with Apartment Guide, Auto Guide and New Home Guide. PRIMEDIA Business Information has more than 60 publications in 18 market sectors. PRIMEDIA Education includes Channel One and other educational products.
