TO BUSINESS AND STATE EDITORS:

BANDON, Ore., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Pulitzer Newspapers, Inc. (PNI), a subsidiary of Pulitzer Inc. (NYSE: PTZ) and the owner of Southwestern Oregon Publishing Co., today announced the purchase of the assets of Western World, a 91-year-old weekly newspaper, from Western World Enterprises of Bandon, Ore. Southwestern Oregon Publishing currently publishes The World, a daily newspaper published in Coos Bay. Terms of the purchase were not disclosed.

Western World, with a paid weekly circulation of 2,700, will continue to function as a separate publication with its own content, news mission and identity. Western World will retain staffing and news/business offices in Bandon and will be printed on The World's presses in Coos Bay. The transaction includes an annual visitor guide, a telephone directory, and a free daily news and advertising flier called "Coffee Break."

"This transaction will provide benefits for both readers and advertisers," said Greg Stevens, president and publisher of Southwestern Oregon Publishing. "Combining the forces of The World and Western World under common ownership will enable us to strengthen our focus on community news, and provide advertisers expanded access to a larger audience."

Greg McNair, proprietor of Western World Enterprises, said, "I believe this acquisition will be good for Bandon residents as well as Bandon and Coos County businesses. The resources of Pulitzer and The World will ensure the continued delivery of quality Bandon community news and information." McNair and his wife, Mary, have owned Western World since 1996.

The World, with circulation of 14,000 daily and 16,000 weekends, serves Coos, Curry, and western Douglas and Lane counties. Currently celebrating its 125th anniversary, The World also publishes a weekly regional shopper, "Spotlight," numerous quarterly and annual publications in cooperation with local groups and organizations, and "Business Watch," a monthly regional business magazine.

Pulitzer Inc., through various subsidiaries and affiliated entities, is engaged in newspaper publishing and related new media activities. In addition to The World, the Company's newspaper operations include two major metropolitan dailies, the St. Louis Post- Dispatch and the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, Arizona, and 11 other dailies: The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.; The Daily Herald, Provo, Utah; the Santa Maria Times, Santa Maria, Calif.; The Napa Valley Register, Napa, Calif.; The Sentinel, Hanford, Calif.; the Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, Ariz.; the Daily Chronicle, DeKalb, Ill.; The Garden Island, Lihue, Hawaii; the Daily Journal, Park Hills, Mo.; The Lompoc Record, Lompoc, Calif.; and The Daily News, Rhinelander, Wisc. The Company's newspaper operations also include the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, a group of 37 weekly papers and various niche publications.

The Company's new media and interactive initiatives include STLtoday.com in St. Louis, azstarnet.com in Tucson, and Web sites for all of its other dailies. Pulitzer Inc. is the successor to the company originally founded by Joseph Pulitzer in St. Louis in 1878. For further information, visit our Web site at www.pulitzerinc.com .

SOURCE  Pulitzer Inc.