TO BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY EDITORS:

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI) today reported that consolidated advertising revenues in July 2003 increased 3.1% and total revenues increased 2.3%. Year-to-date advertising revenues increased 3.4% and total revenues through July were up 2.5%.

Advertising revenue and linage statistics for the month of July and year to date are reviewed in more detail in McClatchy's statistical report, which follows.

The McClatchy Company, headquartered in Sacramento, California, is a leading newspaper and Internet publisher. It publishes 11 daily and 13 non-daily newspapers located in western coastal states, North and South Carolina and the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul. McClatchy has daily circulation of 1.39 million and Sunday circulation of 1.85 million. McClatchy's newspapers include, among others, the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, The Sacramento Bee, The Fresno Bee and The Modesto Bee in California, The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC), The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA) and the Anchorage Daily News.

McClatchy also publishes leading local websites in each of its 11 daily newspaper markets, offering readers information, comprehensive news, advertising, e-commerce and other services, and owns and operates Nando Media, a national on-line publishing operation. McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.

                            The McClatchy Company
                       Consolidated Statistical Report
             (In thousands, except for preprints and page views)

                                Period 7           Period 7 Year-to-Date


    Revenues - Net: *  2003       2002   %Change   2003      2002   %Change
     Advertising
      Minneapolis    $25,256    $25,175    0.3% $167,254  $164,774     1.5%
      California      31,354     29,370    6.8%  194,056   181,394     7.0%
      Carolinas       13,377     13,033    2.6%   84,826    84,979    -0.2%
      Northwest       11,490     11,424    0.6%   75,302    73,129     3.0%
     Total
      Advertising    $81,477    $79,002    3.1% $521,438  $504,276     3.4%

    Circulation       15,637     15,605    0.2%   98,573    98,818    -0.2%
    Other              1,874      2,094  -10.5%   12,652    14,034    -9.8%
      Total
       Newspapers    $98,988    $96,701    2.4% $632,663  $617,128     2.5%

     Non-Newspapers       66        131  -49.6%      642       816   -21.3%
      Total Revenue  $99,054    $96,832    2.3% $633,305  $617,944     2.5%

* Revenues reported are from continuing operations only.

Average Paid Circulation: (Period)

     Daily           1,344.4    1,331.5    1.0%  1,380.3   1,374.9     0.4%
     Sunday          1,855.1    1,822.2    1.8%  1,848.8   1,841.2     0.4%
     Community
      Newspapers        60.3       61.6   -2.1%     61.0      62.6    -2.6%

    Online: (Monthly)
     Millions
      of Page Views     99.1       93.2    6.3%    781.9     681.5    14.7%

    Advertising Linage for Dailies:

     Full Run ROP
      Retail           501.1      505.7   -0.9%  3,189.2   3,222.2    -1.0%
      National         105.8       96.3    9.9%    689.0     616.2    11.8%
      Classified       718.1      733.2   -2.1%  4,366.3   4,417.1    -1.2%
       Total         1,325.0    1,335.2   -0.8%  8,244.5   8,255.5    -0.1%

      Millions of
       Preprints
       Distributed     269.3      259.7    3.7%  1,784.1   1,652.1     8.0%

    Full Run ROP Linage by Market for Dailies:

    California:

     The Sacramento
      Bee              247.5      245.8    0.7%  1,491.0   1,446.9     3.0%
     The Fresno
      Bee              121.6      122.6   -0.8%    756.1     725.6     4.2%
     The Modesto
      Bee              137.0      120.5   13.7%    773.8     756.2     2.3%

    Star Tribune,
     Minneapolis       171.2      170.4    0.5%  1,095.2   1,078.0     1.6%

    Northwest:

     The News
      Tribune, Tacoma  114.5      125.8   -9.0%    751.2     814.7    -7.8%
     Anchorage
      Daily News        83.5       92.9  -10.1%    537.1     568.2    -5.5%
     Tri-City Herald    71.6       66.5    7.7%    448.0     440.2     1.8%

    Carolinas:

     The News
      & Observer,
      Raleigh          179.1      191.1   -6.3%  1,149.2   1,220.8    -5.9%
     South Carolina
      Dailies          199.0      199.6   -0.3%  1,242.9   1,204.9     3.2%
       Total         1,325.0    1,335.2   -0.8%  8,244.5   8,255.5    -0.1%

SOURCE  The McClatchy Company