Raycom and DataSphere to Launch Hundreds of Neighborhood Websites in 35 Cities Across the U.S.

MONTGOMERY, Ala., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Raycom Media, one of the nation's largest broadcasters, and DataSphere Technologies, the leading provider of hyperlocal Web technology and sales solutions for media companies, today announced an agreement to launch neighborhood focused websites across the U.S. The Websites will be launched in cities served by Raycom's television stations and will provide local communities with the best source of information about news, events, entertainment and personalities relevant to their day-to-day lives. Local businesses will also benefit from the opportunity to reach their potential customer base within a compelling new context.

This agreement is the latest implementation of DataSphere Technologies' LocalNet service, a comprehensive solution that already provides turnkey technology, advertising and sales capabilities for 5 media companies and more than 160 neighborhood sites.

"Raycom's focus has always been on contributing to the local community, seeking out divergent points of view and creating an atmosphere of community dialog," said Paul McTear, President and CEO of Raycom Media. "DataSphere's LocalNet service will allow us to further fulfill this vision  rapidly, and with greater efficiency than would otherwise be possible."

The first of Raycom's LocalNet implementations will be operational before the end of April and will take advantage of both LocalNet's advanced technology platform and DataSphere's seasoned, professional sales team to deliver a great visitor experience and significant revenue within weeks of launch.

"We're excited about the opportunity to work with one of the broadcasting industry's major players to bring a new option for local information to another 13% of the US population," stated Satbir Khanuja, CEO of DataSphere. "In addition to the news and other information of particular interest to the residents of these communities, small local businesses will now have an extremely compelling alternative platform to reach and communicate with their specific customer base."

About Raycom Media

Raycom, an employee-owned company, is one of the nation's largest broadcasters and owns and operates 46 television stations in 18 states. Raycom stations cover more than 13 percent of U.S. television households and employ 3,500 individuals in full and part-time positions. In addition to television stations, Raycom owns Raycom Sports (a marketing, production and events management and distribution company in Charlotte); Raycom Post (a post production facility in Burbank, California), and Broadview Media (a post production/telecommunications company based in Montgomery).

About DataSphere

DataSphere Technologies, Inc. (http://www.DataSphere.com) is the leading Web technology and hyperlocal ad sales company focused on generating online profits for media companies. DataSphere offers a range of turnkey solutions to rapidly improve Website monetization and visitor experience with minimal investment of time and money.

DataSphere is headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, USA and led by a team of Internet veterans with backgrounds from Amazon.com, IMDb, Microsoft, RealNetworks and AltaVista.

SOURCE DataSphere Technologies, Inc.