News

Creative Circle and ATS announce launch of Tribune community portal project

TribLocal.com a breakthrough in user-submitted content

For Immediate Release
Contact: Sue Tremblay, 401-935-9414

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May, 2007) -- Creative Circle Advertising Solutions, Inc. (CCAS), developer of innovative internet software for media companies, announced today along with OEM partner Advanced Technology Solutions, the launch of Triblocal.com, the new community portal for the Chicago Tribune Company.

TribLocal.com is a citizen journalism portal that will serve the unique needs of a number of communities around Chicago by enabling local contributors to share their stories, photos and events with the community. At Chicago, it will be one component of a full Microzone publishing solution provided by ATS.

"As a former newspaper editor, I'm thrilled that we were able to create this solution to serve readers and help the Tribune grow in their expanding suburban ring," said Bill Ostendorf, CEO of CCAS who started his newspaper career as a suburban reporter at The Chicago Tribune. "We think there is a bright future for newspapers as they learn to involve readers and gather and distribute content in new ways."

"The CCAS platform is rock solid," said David Monks, Business development, ATS New Media Group. "We searched for the best and found at Creative Circle the technology and team of people that we needed to build our solution. They helped us throughout the process to get it right for our customer," said Monks.

The core of the Triblocal.com project is communityQ. communityQ provides an easy-to-use interface for users to submit stories, photos, blogs and events. The product is driving new traffic and creating new revenue for media partners.

CCAS has developed a suite of products which generate revenue and increase readership, each in response to specific clients' needs. Creative Circle's flagship product, adQ, is a web-entry classified solution that helps users write classifieds through an easy-to-use and fun interface. Users have the ability compare upsell opportunities and see the composed ad in the specific typography of the newspaper.

Creative Circle also offers a 24/7 call center and the ability to provide review and approval of classified ads and user-submitted content.

websiteQ is a content-management system for media staff to manage news topics, photo galleries, calendars and more. Content and ad positions can be managed through a simple user-interface, resulting in a fresh website at any time.

Advanced Technical Solutions, Inc. (ATS) brought the project to Creative Circle through its partnership with the Tribune Company. ATS began selling Creative Circle's products in 2006 under a reseller agreement.

About Advanced Technical Solutions:
Founded in 1987, ATS is devoted to creating innovative solutions to meet the needs of the publishing industry. Specializing in advertising, circulation, editorial, and technical outsourcing solutions, ATS has risen to become a leader in the industry. Combining the latest technology with its own innovations, ATS offers a wide variety of publishing software to streamline any and every operation. A privately held company, ATS is based in Acton, MA, . For more information, log on to: www.atsusa.com.