Boston.com to Add Google Local Search Results and Mapping to Its Local Search Product

Business Wire, March 25, 2008

Additional Information and Features Make Searches on one of Boston's most popular Web sites More Comprehensive and Useful

BOSTON -- Boston.com today announced the addition of Google's local search results and mapping technology to its popular local search application, which currently provides comprehensive access to local news and information.

The business listings from Google are easily accessible within Boston.com's new search product which offers users comprehensive, highly relevant local search results that feature:

* all content from The Boston Globe

* Google's local business listing search with mapping

* news and information from over 4,000 local Web sites

* over 5,000 local event listings

* multimedia content from local TV, radio, the Globe, and users

To view the new Local Search page, go to http://www.boston.com/search

Boston.com's search results, with additional information from Google, better anticipates the searcher's intent. For example, a query for a business listing will return business listing results first; a query for a news story will return news results first.

"Providing quick access to the broadest possible range of indispensable local information is an important driver in Boston.com's strategy," said Bob Kempf, vice president, product at Boston.com. "The use of Google technology and data adds a critical component to our highly tuned local search application. Google has an unmatched ability to deliver relevant content and, in this case, relevant local content."

The business listings content provides a foundation and framework to offer an effective and diversified range of marketing opportunities for advertisers in the form of Google AdWords[TM] text ads, targeted display ads, enhanced events content and web pages optimized for search results and lead generation.

"With local search, Boston.com is able to provide our audience with accurate, relevant, comprehensive results that combine the power of our knowledge of the market with the search capabilities of Google," said Michael Zimbalist, vice president, research and development operations, The New York Times Company. "The addition of business listings also provides new, highly targeted touch-points for our local advertisers to reach their customers."

The introduction of Google's local search and mapping service is an important step forward in the development of Boston.com's local search product.

About Boston.com

Boston.com is the Web site of The Boston Globe and is wholly owned by The New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT), a leading media company with 2007 revenues of $3.2 billion. The Company includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment. For more information, visit http://www.boston.com

Google and AdWords are trademarks of Google Inc.