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BellSouth Puts Out New Chattanooga, Tenn.-Area Phone Directory, Yellow Pages

Posted on: Wednesday, 20 July 2005, 15:01 CDT

Jul. 19--Chattanooga's biggest distributed book is hitting local streets this week.

BellSouth's new phone directory and Yellow Pages may not be on the best-seller list of books. Company officials said Monday they plan to give away 500,000 of the 2005 directories and companion CD versions over the next year in the Chattanooga area.

But the Yellow Pages are certainly a type of best seller for BellSouth. Across its 9-state region, the Atlanta-based telephone giant expects to generate nearly $1.5 billion from advertisers in its directories and online Yellow Pages this year.

"It's a competitive business," said Ed Patterson, manager of public affairs for BellSouth. "But we continue to be the most preferred Yellow Pages version in Chattanooga and other markets and, with our online and CD-ROM versions, the business continues to grow."

BellSouth District Manager Patsy Hazlewood said surveys last year found 90 percent of Chattanoogans surveyed said they preferred the BellSouth phone book, which the company calls "the real Yellow Pages." BellSouth gives away a large and small version of its phone book and provides CD-ROMS and online listings through its advertising and publishing division, which accounts for about 7 percent of BellSouth's total revenues, Ms. Hazlewood said.

This year's book, which will initially be distributed to 256,000 homes and businesses over the next four weeks, features the newly expanded Tennessee Aquarium on its cover.

"Like the Real Yellow Pages, our aquarium is second to none," Ms. Hazlewood said.

But BellSouth's chief rival in the phone book market, Yellow Pages USA, will be coming out with its own version of the Yellow Pages and phone directory in October. John Hartz, a spokesman for the Uniondale, N.Y.-based Yellow Book USA, said their version contains more useful consumer information and advertisements for local businesses are usually sold at about half the price of those in the BellSouth directory.

"Yellow Book is focused on serving the needs of consumers first and that's why we publish a lot of valuable information in our book to help consumers," he said. "With lower ad rates, we can also help more businesses advertise in our Yellow Pages."

Yellow Book is the oldest and largest of the independent yellow page directories. With its recent additions, the U.S. division of the British version of Yellow Pages expects to generate about $1 billion in U.S. revenues from more than 900 directories nationwide.

WHOM TO CONTACT

If you don't receive a BellSouth phone book in the next four weeks, you may order one free at www.realpageslive.com or calling 1-800-GET REAL (438-7325)

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Copyright (c) 2005, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

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BLS,

Source: Chattanooga Times/Free Press

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