FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2001

Media General Reports September Revenues

RICHMOND, Va. — Media General (NYSE: MEG) today reported revenues of $60.1 million for September 2001, down 9.5 percent from $66.4 million in September 2000.

Publishing revenues decreased 7.5 percent from the prior-year month. Broadcast revenues dropped 13.4 percent, while Interactive Media revenues increased 13 percent.

In the Publishing Division, classified revenue declined 13.1 percent from September 2000 due to slow employment and automotive advertising. Help-wanted linage was down 54 percent at the Winston-Salem Journal, 38 percent at the Richmond Times-Dispatch and 37 percent at The Tampa Tribune.

Retail revenue for the month decreased 4.8 percent. National revenue dropped 8.4 percent, while preprint revenue fell 7.7 percent. Decreases in all three of these categories were exacerbated by the economic pause that followed the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Adjusted for The Tampa Tribune's conversion to independent carriers and boosted by robust single-copy sales, circulation revenue increased 4.8 percent.

In the Broadcast Division, gross television time sales declined 22.8 percent from the same month last year, with local advertising down 12.3 percent and national advertising down 21.7 percent. Several days of commercial-free coverage, beginning on Sept. 11, made these declines far worse than they would have been. The absence of major political advertising also contributed to lower sales.

In the Interactive Media Division, terrorism coverage prompted a surge in Web traffic. The division's revenues continued to benefit from classified up-sell arrangements between newspapers and their respective Web sites in Florida and North Carolina.

About Media General
Media General is an independent communications company situated primarily in the Southeast with interests in newspapers, television stations, interactive media and diversified information services. The company'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 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. The company's extensive interactive media offerings include more than 50 online enterprises. Media General also has a 33 percent interest in SP Newsprint Co., which operates newsprint mills in Dublin, Ga., and Newberg, Ore.

Statistical charts follow:
Revenue Report
Ad Linage Report

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