Washington Post 2008 Annual Report Download - page 26

The Post has about 502 full-time editors, reporters and photographers on its staff; draws upon the news reporting facilities
of the major wire services; and maintains a network of correspondents and contract writers in national and international
news centers. The Post also maintains reporters in nine local news bureaus.
Membership in The Post’s subscriber loyalty program, PostPoints, increased in 2008. The program allows readers to earn
points that can be exchanged for rewards by subscribing to The Washington Post, shopping at participating major
retailers, interacting on washingtonpost.com and other similar activities. The program has approximately 157,000
members.
The Post plans to close its printing plant located in College Park, MD, in 2009. Two printing presses will not be relocated
as previously announced.
Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
WPNI develops news and information products for electronic distribution. Since 1996, this subsidiary of the Company
has produced washingtonpost.com, an Internet site that currently features the full editorial text of The Washington Post and
most of The Post’s classified advertising, as well as original content created by WPNI’s staff, blogs written by Post
reporters and others, interactive discussions hosted by Post reporters and outside subject experts, user-posted comments
and content obtained from other sources. As measured by WPNI, this site averaged more than 232 million page views
per month during 2008. The washingtonpost.com site also features extensive information about activities, groups and
businesses in the Washington, DC, area, including an arts and entertainment section and news sections focusing on
politics and on technology businesses and related policy issues. This site has developed a substantial audience of users
who are outside the Washington, DC, area, and WPNI believes that approximately 85% of the unique users who access
the site each month are in that category. WPNI requires most users accessing the washingtonpost.com site to register and
provide their year of birth, gender, ZIP code, job title and the type of industry in which they work. The resulting
information helps WPNI provide online advertisers with opportunities to target specific geographic areas and
demographic groups. WPNI also offers registered users the option of receiving various e-mail newsletters that cover
specific topics, including political news and analysis, personal technology and entertainment. In January 2009, WPNI
began doing business as Washington Post Digital for all transactions, business arrangements and other ventures relating
to washingtonpost.com. Since September 2006, WPNI has provided content from washingtonpost.com and the Slate
and Newsweek websites specially formatted to be downloaded and displayed on Web-enabled cell phones and other
personal digital devices.
In addition, in 2008, WPNI also produced the Newsweek website, which contains editorial content from the print
edition of Newsweek, as well as daily news updates and analysis, photo galleries, Web guides and other features.
Furthermore, in 2008, WPNI produced Budget Travel magazine’s website, which is found at BudgetTravel.com. This site
contains editorial content from Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine and other sources. On January 1 of 2009,
WPNI transferred responsibility for producing BudgetTravel.com and Newsweek.com to Newsweek.
The Slate Group, a division of WPNI, produces Slate, an online magazine, and several additional websites. Slate
features articles analyzing news, politics and contemporary culture and adds new material on a daily basis. Content is
supplied by the magazine’s own editorial staff, as well as by independent contributors. In January of 2008, The Slate
Group launched The Root, an online magazine focused on issues of importance to African Americans and others
interested in black culture. The Root offers daily news and provocative commentary on politics and culture. Additionally, it
offers a geneology tool designed to help users trace their family history.
In September 2008, The Slate Group launched The Big Money, an online magazine featuring articles on business news,
commentary and new material added on a daily basis. Content is supplied by the magazine’s own editorial staff, as well
as by independent contributors.
In October 2008, WPNI acquired Foreign Policy, a magazine founded and managed by The Carnegie Endowment For
International Peace. Foreign Policy is a bi-monthly print magazine and website that features articles analyzing current
events, business and policy news from around the world. The website is updated with content from the magazine’s own
editorial staff and independent contributors on a daily basis. In addition, Foreign Policy hosts a small number of foreign
policy conferences every year. Foreign Policy is also part of The Slate Group.
WPNI holds a 16.5% equity interest in Classified Ventures LLC (“Classified Ventures”), a company formed in 1997 to
compete in the business of providing online classified advertising databases for cars, apartment rentals and residential
real estate. The other owners are Tribune Company, The McClatchy Company, Gannett Co., Inc. and A.H. Belo
Corporation. Listings for these databases come from print and online-only sales of classified ads by the newspaper and
online sales staffs of the various owners, as well as from sales made by Classified Ventures’ own sales staff. The
washingtonpost.com site provides links to the Classified Ventures’ national car and apartment rental websites
(www.cars.com and www.apartments.com).
14 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY