GTE Directories unveils a new line of print-, audiotex- and Internet-based features in its The Everything Pages directories andSuperPages interactive services.

DALLAS -- GTE Directories is introducing innovative new Internet-, audiotex-, and print-based advertising and information services in its SuperPages interactive services and The Everything Pages directory.

By continuously enhancing our Yellow Pages directory and developing innovative, next generation products, we are finding new and exciting ways to effectively link buyers and sellers through a complimentary line of advertising products, said Earl A. Goode, president, GTE Directories.

SuperPages Now Features Consumer Guide Best Buy Service and Auto Guide.

GTE and Publications International have partnered to introduce a unique Consumer Guide Best Buy Service and Auto Guide to the GTE SuperPages service. These features allow consumers to search, compare and select hundreds of products and services on the Internet faster and easier than ever before.

Consumer Guide interactive, introduced in beta test in December 1996, presents a vast amount of information on more than 100 different classes ofproducts and services, including TVs, VCRs, stereos and home office equipment. The service, which offers Best Buy information and is the only one of its kind on the Internet, lists product reviews and manufacturer information to help users make informed purchasing decisions.

Consumer Guide offers color photos of most items along with a detailed product review. Retail price, street price, and warranty information is included in the review, along with Consumer Guides Recommended or Budget Buy. The Best Buys section offers over 500 product recommendations and reviews, more than 400 product photos and nearly 150 informative articles on the available products.

Much like Best Buys, the Auto Guide offers consumers choices to make an educated buying decision about automobiles. And, unlike other services on the Internet, the Auto Guide lets consumers browse used car information, including maintenance costs, recall notices, and problem areas to look for before making a purchase. Auto Guide also offers an option package calculator that calculates the end-cost of a car with any or all available options installed.

Auto Guide presents consumers with two basic ways to look at cars -- by specific make or model or by the interactive car finder. The interactive car finder allows users to indicate their needs, wants, interests, price limitations and other requirements to help Auto Guide narrow down the thousands of possibilities.

Auto Guide contains nearly 1000 photos covering new and used cars from 1990 to the present.

New, Easy-to-Use Features Added to The Everything Pages Directory

GTE is introducing several new and enhanced services in its 1997 edition of The Everything Pages directories, including a comprehensive Internet Guide, an improved Government Pages section, a redeveloped Info Pages section, additional White Pages advertising opportunities, and an expanded Inside Look community guide. The Everything Pages directories also sport a new cover showcasing the companys SuperPages interactive directory service.

Internet Guide Debuts

GTE Directories is introducing an easy-to-use, consumer-oriented Internet Guide in approximately 30 directories in 1997. The Guide is slated to be included in 113 directories by the end of 1998.

The four-color Guide, which encompasses the entire Internet classified heading, offers several informative sections: the AudioPage, featuring audiotex information lines that provide tips on using the Internet; a standard Yellow Pages advertising section, including all Internet-related advertisers; and a Brand URLs business listing section that gives consumers a quick resource for finding the website addresses of national and local businesses.

The AudioPage provides consumers with answers to Internet-related questions and is designed to satisfy both the novice and experienced Internet-user. Because the information is provided through audiotex information lines, it can be regularly updated and refreshed, always providing the most current and comprehensive information available.

Brand URLs is an alphabetical listing containing the logos, names and website addresses of national and local businesses. Listings may also include a brief description of the companys website and a See Also reference, which guides users to the companys Yellow Pages advertisement.

Government Pages Enhanced

The Everything Pages directory will also offer consumers an enhanced, easier-to-use Government Pages; available features include city, county, state, and Federal government listings, public school listings, and County Clerk of Court audiotex information lines. The County Clerk of Court pages, which will appear on an as-sold basis, include full-page, display-type advertisements with audiotex information lines offering answers to consumers most frequently asked questions. Banner advertisement opportunities are also available this year within the Government Pages section. Advertisers offering related products and services such as attorneys, defensive driving courses, wedding consultants, and others, can utilize the banner ads as an innovative and effective way to reach a targeted consumer market at the point in which government information is sought.

Info Pages Redesigned

A completely redesigned Info Pages section is planned for all in-franchise and out-of-franchise directories published by GTE. The company streamlined this section, with more concise text and new graphics, to make finding important information easier. Key features include a telecommunications section with GTE product and service information, traditional information on local, long distance and international calling along with a telephone safety and legal rights section, and a new section highlighting GTE Directories products and services.

White Pages Banner Ads Rolled-out Nationally

Advertisers with GTEs The Everything Pages now will have the opportunity to promote their products and services through one-inch high billboard style banners that extend across the bottom of the White Pages. After a successful year in selected and test markets, GTE is rolling-out the White Pages banner ads nationally. Banner ads will be available in 379 markets in 1997. Additional markets are under review for 1998.

Inside Look Community Guide Enhanced

The company also is enhancing its Inside Look community guide -- a quick and easy magazine-style section, covering topics from how to reach local attractions and restaurants to what's happening around town. Depending on market needs, various sections in Inside Look now will include more comprehensive detailed information on local amenities. The format and look of the Guide has been updated with a more graphic, appealing presentation.

With headquarters in Dallas, Texas, GTE Directories is one of the largest telephone directory publishers in the world. The company provides sales and other directory-related services for more than 2,400 directories worldwide, with a total circulation of 80 million copies. It develops and markets new media services, such as GTEs SuperPagesK interactive service, a premier Internet-based advertising and information resource. In 1994 GTE Directories become one of only six service companies to ever win the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. GTE Directories is a part of GTE Corporation, Stamford, Conn.

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