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OC POST Launches Aug. 21 as Orange County's First Compact, Quick-Read Daily Newspaper

SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Orange County residents who say they have "no time to read" a daily newspaper will now have a newspaper designed for them and their busy lifestyles.

Starting today, OC POST comes to life as the new daily newspaper for Orange County. It is produced by the publishers of The Orange County Register, and specifically caters to the needs of a busy, on-the-go audience.

The new newspaper is home-delivered and available at locations throughout the county, Monday through Saturday.

"OC POST is a quick, entertaining and comprehensive read, with a focus on visual elements and news affecting Orange County," said N. Christian Anderson III, editor-in-chief of OC POST, who also serves as president and chief executive officer of Freedom Orange County Information. "OC POST is an outgrowth of months of research and hundreds of surveys to identify how we package and deliver useful information, in a way that appeals to people in our area who rarely or never read a traditional newspaper."

"People told us that they wanted a compact and portable summary of news to fit their busy lives, and we designed OC POST to meet their needs," said Debbie Holzkamp, OC POST Publisher, who also serves as senior vice president of Sales and Marketing at Freedom Orange County Information. "The OC POST audience consists of young working professionals, families with children, or both. Advertisers are very interested in connecting with this audience."

OC POST is the first, OC-based daily newspaper published by Freedom Communications since Nov. 25, 1905, the first publication day of the Register.

The full-color, tabloid-sized OC POST contains tightly-edited, to the point reports on local, state, nation and world news, as well as dedicated sections on health, arts and entertainment, money (business), style and sports. Managing Editor Andrew Horan directs a staff of 20 OC POST journalists.

Articles do not have bylines or jump to another page, and the main paper has a maximum of 48 pages. OC POST includes a separate QuickClassifieds section each day, and the Saturday edition includes a NewHomes section -- expanded to match consumers' weekend leisure time.

One-year, charter subscriptions to OC POST are priced at $19.99. Single copies are available at more than 1,000 newsstand and rack locations for 25 cents. The company expects home delivery circulation to grow quickly to 140,000.

A clear distinction exists between advertising and news. All ads have fixed sizes and locations. OC POST ads have fixed positions and account for only 35 percent of the paper, to ensure maximum visibility. OC POST's online companion, OCPost.com, currently lists a free, five-week trial subscription offer. The Web site provides access to event listings, multimedia, an electronic replica and breaking news summaries that link to OCRegister.com content.

Subscriptions are also available by calling a toll-free number, 877-9-OCPOST.

About Freedom Orange County Information

Based in Santa Ana, Calif., Freedom Orange County Information is publisher of The Orange County Register, a three-time, Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper that celebrated its 100-year anniversary in 2005. Freedom Orange County Information also publishes OC POST, 25 community newspapers including Spanish-language Excelsior; insert advertising products OC$aver and OC$aver This Week, and OCSaver.com; SqueezeOC.com and weekly companion magazine SqueezeOC; OCRegister.com, OCExcelsior.com, and GolfExtra membership card. OCR Magazines, a specialty publications unit of Freedom Orange County Information, publishes Coast, Orange County Home, Private Showing, Orange County Kids, Preferred Destinations, Revue, and programs for the OC Performing Arts Center and South Coast Repertory Theater.

CONTACT:   Freedom Orange County Information
           Eric Morgan
           (714) 796-2460