PRIMEDIA Accelerates,Launches Orlando Auto Guide
NEW YORK--June 2, 2005--PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides, the country's leading publisher and distributor of apartment, new home and auto guides, today announced the launch of Orlando Auto Guide. The launch in Florida, the nation's second largest automotive market, further enhances Auto Guide's Southeastern presence in North Carolina and Georgia. Orlando Auto Guide is a free, weekly color publication featuring comprehensive listings of new and used cars, SUVs and trucks for sale by auto dealerships in the region. PRIMEDIA already has six Auto Guides since the first launch less than a year ago.The Auto Guide's continued nationwide expansion is supported 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. Copies of the guide will be available weekly in over 1,200 locations across Orlando, including all Albertsons, CVS, Blockbuster, 7-Eleven and K-Mart retail locations.
Florida is one of the nation's largest automotive markets in the country, according to the National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA). Statistics from NADA show that Florida not only has over 950 car and truck dealerships across the state, but it also ranks second in the total number of vehicles in operation in 2004, with over 8.5 million passenger cars, trucks and SUVs on the road last year, almost six million over the state average.
The inaugural issue of the Orlando Auto Guide featured over 1,600 vehicles for sale, listed by make and model in the Auto Guide's "shop and compare" format, making it one of the most comprehensive and easy to use consumer shopping tools in the market. Beyond the free, weekly color publication, the guide will also be available online at www.orlandoautoguide.com. Providing an Internet companion site for auto dealer advertisements furthers Auto Guide's appeal and increases the reach of the Auto Guide brand.
"Our launch into the Florida market furthers our goal of a nationwide Auto Guide presence," said Bob Metz, chief executive officer, PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides. "In less than one year, we have expanded our Southeastern Auto Guide operations and have broken into the lucrative California market, with the recently launched Orange County Auto Guide. As we continue to grow, we are building out our offering to provide the best product to our customers and most valuable resource to our advertisers."
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 Orlando. 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.
