Sunnyvale, Calif. - Yahoo announced on Monday that it has expanded its partnership with 12 newspaper companies, and will now provide search and advertising technology across all 264 newspaper sites, as well as share local news stories.

The deal will see the papers use Yahoo's graphical advertising technology, and combine forces with Yahoo's ad sales team. The papers' local news coverage will also become available to Yahoo News visitors.

When originally launched in November, Yahoo had agreed to help the publishers sell job wanted ads online and in print. Yahoo's initial partners included Belo Corp., Cox, Scripps, Hearst, Journal Register Company, Lee Enterprises and MediaNews Group; new members added since then include McClatchy, Calkins Media, Media General, Morris Communications and Paddock Publications.

The publications' websites attract a combined total of more than 50 million monthly unique visitors.

"This ground-breaking partnership creates the newspaper industry's first full-fledged integrated online advertising network and significantly expands consortium members' Internet presence," said Belo chairman and CEO Robert W. Decherd.

Related Links:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070416/20070416005758.html?.v=1

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070416/yahoo_partnership.html?.v=1 (AP)