Bell Atlantic introduces new Internet and consumer features for Baltimore Yellow Pages

Bethesda, Md. -- Bell Atlantic's White and Yellow Pages have new and useful Internet-related features, including a beginner's Internet Guide. The new directory also has a new logo and cover design. Residents and businesses in Baltimore, Md., are currently receiving the new 1997-1998 Greater Baltimore East, West and City editions.

 

The new features in the directories are designed to make Bell Atlantic the customer's first choice for information-based shopping.

 

"The new Bell Atlantic directories for the Baltimore area reflect our belief in providing our customers and advertisers with local information and services that allow for global access, such as the Internet," said Robert A. Graham, president and chief executive officer of Bell Atlantic Directory Services.

 

Bell Atlantic's Internet Guide provides an overview of the Internet in easy-to-understand language for the novice user. The Internet Guide -- supported by advertising in a 12-page tabbed insert -- contains information on hardware and software requirements, a glossary, a step-by-step approach for connecting to the World Wide Web, tips on choosing an Internet service provider and a list of recommended Web sites. The guide complements Bell Atlantic's Big YellowSM, the nation's leading online shopping directory.

 

For the first time in the Baltimore region, Yellow Pages listings include an optional extra line for E-mail and Web site addresses to respond to the growing number of Web sites. Industry analysts indicate that some fifty percent of all U.S. companies have set up Web sites.

 

The Baltimore Yellow Pages also include enhanced InfoTips and coupon pages. InfoTips is a free service that allows users to obtain recorded consumer information on various topics ranging from bicycles to tax preparation by calling a local phone number.

 

The design for the Greater Baltimore directory covers includes the new Bell Atlantic logo and an illustration of the schooner Lady Maryland, which was built in 1985-86 by students and instructors of the Living Classrooms Foundation. The Lady Maryland was the first Learn by Doing project of the foundation, an outreach initiative for disadvantaged and at-risk youth. Standing 92 feet tall and weighing over 82 tons, Lady Maryland serves as a unique classroom in which the students of Living Classrooms continue to experience hands-on learning. Students from every county in Maryland sail the schooner on the Chesapeake Bay and coastal waters from Maryland to Maine.

 

The cover illustrator is accomplished artist Mary Lynn Blasutta, who is based in New Paltz, N.Y. Her illustrations, which will be featured on all the company's 500 directories, further demonstrate Bell Atlantic's commitment to the communities it serves in 13 states and Washington, D.C.

 

Bell Atlantic is the world's largest publisher of Yellow Pages shopping directories.

 

The new Bell Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, information and entertainment industry. With 40 million telephone access lines and 5.8 million wireless customers worldwide, the corporation is the premier provider of advanced wireline voice and data service in the eastern United States and a market leader in wireless services. Bell Atlantic is one of the world's largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with operations and investments in 21 countries.