FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
uesday, Jan. 30, 2001

Media General Increases Dividend

RICHMOND, Va. — Media General's Board of Directors today increased the company's quarterly dividend from 16 cents per share to 17 cents per share. The dividend is payable on March 15, 2001, to shareholders of record on Feb. 28, 2001. The dividend applies to both class-A and class-B common stock.

About Media General
Media General is an independent, publicly owned communications company situated primarily in the Southeast with interests in newspapers, television, interactive media, and diversified information services. Media General's publishing assets include The Tampa Tribune, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Winston-Salem Journal, and 22 other daily newspapers in Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina, as well as nearly 100 weeklies and other periodicals and a 20 percent interest in The Denver Post. Media General's 26 network-affiliated television stations reach more than 30 percent of the television households in the Southeast, and nearly 8 percent of those in the United States.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties and should be understood in the context of the company's publicly available reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Media General's future performance could differ materially from its current expectations.