SpatialNews Press Release
Tribune Interactive Signs Agreement With ETAK To Deliver
Timely Road Condition And Traffic Information Via The Web
Partnership Enables Tribune Interactive to Provide 24-Hours-a-Day
Traffic Information on its Local Newspaper Web sites
CHICAGO, IL, Weds., January 31, 2001 - Tribune Interactive, a leader in
interactive news and information Web sites and a division of Tribune Company
(NYSE:TRB), today announced that it has signed an agreement with Etak, Inc.,
a unit of Tele Atlas and a premier provider of digital map databases and
traffic information. The agreement will give consumers access to current
road condition and traffic information via several of Tribune Interactive's
newspaper Web sites.
Six Tribune Interactive Web sites including orlandosentinel.com (The Orlando
Sentinel), sun-sentinel.com (South Florida Sun-Sentinel), sunspot.com (The
Baltimore Sun), ctnow.com (Hartford Courant), stamfordadvocate.com (Stamford
Advocate) and greenwichtime.com (Greenwich Time) will make Etak's traffic
information available to their communities.
"Getting current traffic conditions right off the Web is a great service for
people on the go in our communities," said David Hiller, president of
Tribune Interactive. "It's another example of how our local information Web
sites helps make consumers' daily lives easier." Other Tribune Interactive
Web sites, such as latimes.com, chicagotribune.com and newsday.com,
currently offer similar traffic services also.
"It is a pleasure to provide Internet traffic to Tribune Interactive, one of
the largest online news and information networks in the country," said
Kiyoshi Hamai, vice president of product management and support for Etak.
"Tribune Interactive consumers will receive accurate and timely information
that can assist them in making the right commuting decisions."
Etak's Internet traffic, in cooperation with Metro Networks, a Westwood One
company, enables consumers to quickly get traffic information from Tribune
Interactive sites by logging on and viewing a map of their general area or
selecting a particular region. While searching for the latest traffic
information, users can click on the interactive icons to find out where an
incident was reported, the cause, when it was reported and when it is
expected to clear. They can also get reports on road congestion, travel
delays, construction, weather-related road conditions and major events that
may affect their drive, such as sports, concerts and festivals.
Etak Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., is the premier U.S. provider
of high-quality digital maps, real-time traffic information and advanced map
technology used in a wide variety of business and consumer applications. In
May 2000, Etak became a wholly owned subsidiary of Tele Atlas. Together,
Tele Atlas and Etak comprise the largest digital mapping company in the
world with over 1,200 employees and a digital map database that spans the
globe. For more information on Etak or Tele Atlas products and services,
please visit http://www.etak.com or http://www.teleatlas.com.
Tribune Interactive, a division of Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) based in
Chicago, operates leading interactive news and information sites in major
markets across the United States, including 18 of the top 30 markets. The
company's Web sites attract more than 5 million visitors per month, and rank
among the top 20 interactive news/information networks in the country.
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