New York, NY -- MSNBC.com, MSNBC Cable and NBC News, The Washington Post, Newsweek and Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive have announced plans to form an alliance to share news material and technological and promotional resources. The planned alliance brings together several of the nation’s leading news organizations to offer comprehensive coverage across multiple platforms. Andrew Lack, president of NBC News, and Alan Spoon, president of The Washington Post Company, made the announcement today.

“This is a great step for NBC News, ” said Lack. “As the only news organization already operating across broadcast, cable and the Internet, we are pleased to be teamed with The Washington Post and Newsweek in our effort to deliver news across all available media platforms. ”

Spoon said, “Through this alliance, we are positioning our print and Internet properties for the multimedia world of the future. NBC News and MSNBC, on cable and online, are an ideal partner with which to enrich and expand the reach of our print and online services.”

A major component of the relationship will be the launch of Newsweek.MSNBC.com, scheduled for early 2000. Starting immediately, MSNBC.com will carry editorial content from Newsweek.com and Newsweek magazine in various sections through the site. In addition, MSNBC.com will have access to content from The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com. Similarly, washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com will have access to NBC News multimedia content, covering broadcast, cable and the Internet. Journalists from The Washington Post newspaper and Newsweek magazine will appear on NBC News and MSNBC Cable, including regular segments on “The News with Brian Williams.” Co-branded segments, based on both magazine and Web reporting, will also appear regularly on MSNBC Cable.

Additional plans under discussion between MSNBC and Newsweek include joint coverage of selected major events and breaking news, multi-platform programming projects and expanded Internet coverage.

Editorial oversight for each media organization will remain independent.

Locally, NBC4 (WRC-TV), the NBC owned and operated station in Washington, D.C., The Washington Post and washingtonpost.com, plan to expand distribution of each organization’s independently reported news from the mid-Atlantic region in print, on television and on the Internet. Together, the three organizations will capitalize on The Post’s and washingtonpost.com’s expansive coverage of the area and NBC4’s leadership position in news.

The companies will extend their capabilities to serve advertisers in the expanding online marketplace. On the business side, advertising packages will be developed that utilize the cross-media opportunities of this new alliance. In addition, the companies will benefit from cross-platform promotion among the media properties involved in the deal. Full implementation of the alliance will follow completion of a definitive agreement.

The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO) is a diversified media organization whose principal operations include newspaper and magazine publishing, broadcasting and cable television systems. The company also provides educational services and career and hiring management. It publishes The Washington Post, a morning daily and Sunday newspaper, and Newsweek, a weekly newsmagazine with a national and three international editions. Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive (WPNI) is the new-media and electronic-publishing subsidiary of The Washington Post Company. It publishes washingtonpost.com and Newsweek.com.

For more than 70 years, NBC News has been a primary source of global news and information providing immediate coverage and in-depth reporting of major events. NBC News provides over 25 hours of weekly programming in the United States, including the No. 1-rated broadcasts “Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,” “Today” and “Meet the Press.” The network also produces weekend editions of “Today” and “Nightly News,” and the new morning program, “Later Today.” Additionally, “Dateline NBC” is the most watched newsmagazine and the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime five nights a week.

Also under the NBC News umbrella is MSNBC, a 24-hour cable news channel and Internet joint venture of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and NBC (NYSE:GE), launched in 1996. MSNBC is one of the fastest growing cable networks with distribution deals to reach 66 million households by 2002; and MSNBC.com is the No. 1-rated news Web site for 1999. With MSNBC, NBC is the only broadcast network to have a 24-hour news cable channel and Internet service.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device.

Contact:
Cherylynne Crowther, MSNBC.com
425-703-9490
cherylynne.Crowther@msnbc.com

Erin O’Shea Starzynski, Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive
703-469-2646
erin.starzynski@wpni.com

Cory Shields, MSNBC Cable
201-583-5010