Launch of 10th digital Community Web site

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Monday 29 March 1999

"This is Lincolnshire" today heralds the arrival of Northcliffe Newspapers Group's 10th digital community Web site.

Hosted by Northcliffe's "Lincolnshire Echo", this latest site provides its community, visitors and expatriates with high value content, interactive entertainment and on-line business opportunities.

This is the first of nine Web sites planned to be rolled out this summer by Northcliffe Electronic Publishing (NEP), the group's new media arm. "This Is Exeter", "This Is Scunthorpe" , "This Is Grimsby" and "This Is South Devon" are due to follow shortly, leaving just four remaining sites to be rolled out later.

This site reflects the strengths of NEP's nine existing "This Is..." branded Web sites, providing local, national and international news and sport coverage, plus information about local leisure and business services.

At the hub of this platform sits a business directory which provides details and location maps of thousands of local businesses. Accessed by users and advertisers, business listings are linked to personalised banner ads and mini or bespoke Web sites, in order to promote their services further.

Chat rooms, bulletin boards and virtual shopping centres provide just a few of the additional interactive and regular features available through these platforms. News and sport are updated twice-daily, six days a week, whilst leisure information such as cinema, theatre listings and film reviews are refreshed weekly.

Local Classified platforms are in turn linked to the regional press's AdHunter initiative. This provides our users with both national and local Autohunter (car) and Jobhunter (job) opportunities.

"This Is Lincolnshire" promotes the area's rich heritage including in-depth sections on 'Bomber County's' aviation history. The site will be a campaigning voice for Lincolnshire communities and businesses, promoting the county as a tourist haven, a rising education centre and a business region of huge potential.

Malcolm Pheby, managing director of Lincolnshire Echo Group Newspapers said: "The launch of 'This Is Lincolnshire' strengthens our position as the key information provider for the communities we serve. We are delighted to be working in partnership with so many organisations and businesses to make the vision of a virtual community a reality."

Northcliffe's nine other "This Is..." sites currently on-line are:
www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk
www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk
www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk
www.thisisplymouth.co.uk
the award winning www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk
www.thisiscornwall.co.uk
www.thisiskentandeastsussex.co.uk
www.thisishull.co.uk
and www.thisisessex.co.uk*

NEP is a division of the Northcliffe Newspapers Group Limited which is owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust plc.

*www.thisisessex.co.uk is jointly owned by Northcliffe Newspapers Group Limited and Newsquest Essex

For further information contact:
Northcliffe Electronic Publishing: Ian Campbell, Deputy Managing Director: Tel 0171 519 7500.
E-mail icampbell@nep.co.uk

Lincolnshire Echo: Malcolm Pheby, Managing Director: Tel 01522 525252