KANSAS CITY, MO and GERMANTOWN, MD — Universal Press Syndicate and WeatherBug^® have entered into an agreement to syndicate the online weather services of WeatherBug to newspaper Web sites. Available immediately, the companies will also offer newspapers the opportunity to brand the online WeatherBug data and content on their Web sites and on mobile platforms while bringing live, local weather information and severe weather alerts to millions of online users.

"Universal Press Syndicate is thrilled to be associated with such an innovative leader in the online and mobile weather space," says John Vivona, vice president / sales for Universal Press Syndicate. "WeatherBug knows online weather. They know how to package the content, so it is graphically appealing and highly consumable. In other words, WeatherBug knows how to generate page views which equates to ad revenue.

"We have listened to our newspaper partners, and we are offering a number of financial models that fit today's online newspaper market," he adds.

WeatherBug's weather information provides a level of depth and granularity that is unmatched in the industry. By combining its proprietary asset — the world's largest, most dense network of live weather stations and cameras — with aggregated weather data from around the world, the WeatherBug Network delivers highly precise weather information and forecasts for the most accurate, neighborhood-level weather available. WeatherBug's weather stations, primarily located atop schools, public safety buildings and major sporting venues, generate real-time neighborhood weather conditions every second of the day.

WeatherBug's live weather content for newspapers includes:

• Current weather conditions for more than 45,000 locations worldwide;
• Live views from WeatherBug's 1,500 neighborhood weather cameras;
• Daily and weekly forecasts for all locations;
• Radar maps and satellite images; and
• Detailed severe weather alert messages from the National Weather Service and WeatherBug Network, and more.

Content Integration and Advertising Opportunities

Newspapers can choose from a variety of options for displaying the WeatherBug content. For example, WeatherBug content is available as a co-branded weatherbug.com Web site, or the newspaper can fully integrate WeatherBug's live, local weather content into its Web site. Contact Universal Press Syndicate to learn about all the business models and delivery options.

Newspapers can also choose to provide a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) solution for mobile applications and text alerts via Short Message Service (SMS). These text messages can be custom branded to include a "brought to you by" attribution for the newspaper. The newspaper can also promote the mobile service through their online properties and provide a click-through to the newspaper's fulfillment page for mobile users.

"Newspapers can leverage the power of live weather conditions and camera images from their local area and the entire WeatherBug Network, while also helping to keep their viewers safe with severe weather alerts. As a result, they build a stronger tie to neighborhood schools and communities and also boost Web traffic and brand loyalty," said Jim Anderson, director of business services at WeatherBug. "We are very excited to work with UPS and look forward to seeing the partnership flourish with newspapers looking to broaden their online and mobile presence."

For more information, please call Universal Press Syndicate sales department at 800-255-6734.

About WeatherBug
WeatherBug (http://www.weatherbug.com and http://www.weatherbugprofessional.com) is a trusted source of dynamic weather information enabling people worldwide to make more informed weather-related decisions. Millions of consumers and professional organizations, including the National Weather Service, rely on WeatherBug to make mission critical decisions that safeguard lives, impact communities and improve business operations. WeatherBug is a brand of AWS Convergence Technologies, Inc. (http://www.aws.com)

About Universal Press Syndicate
Universal Press Syndicate is the largest independent newspaper syndicate in the world and the industry leader in bringing products and services to print and digital media that offer superior editorial and humor content, as well as advertising and subscriber opportunities. Headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., Universal Press Syndicate distributes some of the most popular comics and features in newspapers today, including Dear Abby, For Better or For Worse, Doonesbury, FoxTrot, Cathy, Garfield, The Mini Page and Ziggy. Its features list ranges from Pulitzer Prize winners Roger Ebert, Pat Oliphant, Anna Quindlen, Ben Sargent, Tom Toles and Garry Trudeau. Andrews McMeel Universal (AMU) is the corporate parent company that includes Universal Press Syndicate, Andrews McMeel Publishing, uclick (www.gocomics.com) and AMUSE.