AlfaQuest Technologies Inc. said it sold FasTrak and NewsXpress violet computer-to-plate systems to a number of newspapers, including the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colo., and the Tribune-Review in suburban Pittsburgh. The Tribune-Review will install three FasTrak 150s at its NewsWorks facility in Cranberry, Pa., and two units at its Greensburg, Pa., facility. The publisher will install two separate PrintExpress servers to manage workflow and provide Web-based soft proofing, page pairing and disaster recovery.

Other papers purchasing alfaQuest CTP equipment were the Daily Chronicle in De Kalb, Ill., which just completed installation of two NewsXpress units and one NewsMate autoloader; Casa Grande (Ariz.) Valley Newspapers, which today will begin installation of a NewsXpress V 100, one NewsMate autoloader and the new alfa CTP production app to manage workflow; the Cadillac (Mich.) News and the Daily Journal in International Falls, Minn.; and Newspan Media Corp. in Houston. Newspapers & Technology will have more information about the alfaQuest installations in the June issue.

 

AP launches Mobile News Network

The Associated Press today debuted Mobile News Network, a multimedia news portal targeted at smart phone users (see Newspapers & Technology, May 2008).

The MNN launch spans more than 100 news publishers covering 16 of the top 20 DMAs.

“With a new generation of mobile devices on the market, like the iPhone, the time is right for AP to introduce a product that brings together our members’ local news brands with AP’s unrivaled coverage of international and national events,” said Jane Seagrave, AP’s senior vice president of global product development.

The new service, optimized for the Apple iPhone, offers local and national news, photo galleries and videos, among other features.

Future phases of MNN will include content from additional newspapers and broadcasters as well as being optimized for next-generation mobile phones, AP said.

Users can access MNN via www.apnews.com or via iPhone Web app pages at www.iphone.com/webapps.

Cox buys ad tech firm to go vertical

Cox Enterprises last week purchased online ad technology firm Adify for $300 million in cash.

Adify develops software that allows Web sites to tailor ads to specific audiences and will help Cox build vertical networks, said John Dyer, Cox’s executive vice president of finance.

“Adify’s … innovation in powering vertical advertising networks … is a great match for Cox,” he said in a statement.

Cox said Adify will retain its San Bruno, Calif., operations. The transaction should be completed later this month.

Web Press shifts management

Web Press Corp. named Mike Collins national sales manager as the firm made a number of management changes.

Collins was promoted to the position after serving as a Web Press sales executive since February 2007.

Meantime, the firm named Olivia D. Bernabe controller and vice president of finance and promoted David Skaggs to vice president of manufacturing. Both Bernabe and Skaggs will join the company’s board of directors.

Finally, Rick Guinn was named senior vice president. He’ll hold the post while continuing to serve as vice president of operations, Web Press said.

MediaNews Group adding health to Web sites

MediaNews Group said it would add health-oriented social networking and search features on its regional and newspaper Web sites through a partnership with health content provider TauMed.

The (Bridgeport) Connecticut Post, Chico (Calif.) Enterprise Record, the Advance in Stamford, Conn., and the Greenwich (Conn.) Time are the first MNG papers to launch TauMed features, with others adding content later, TauMed said.

San Francisco-based TauMed will host, manage and distribute all user-generated content, including videos, blogs and other submissions.

TauMed’s platform includes expert and user-generated content as well as online support groups and other health-related news and information.

QuadTech buys print inspection firm

QuadTech said it purchased Vigitek, a Limerick, Ireland, developer of print inspection technology. QuadTech said it will incorporate Vigitek’s print defect detection software within its line of automatic register guidance systems.

QuadTech said Vigitek will operate as a subsidiary and will function as its own entity.

No financial details were disclosed.

Ky. paper launching business mag

The Paducah (Ky.) Sun said it would begin publishing a business publication covering southern Illinois and northern Kentucky. The magazine, the Four River Business Journal, “will help business owners avoid pitfalls and keep the entire community up to date on trends in the marketplace,” the paper said in a Sunday editorial. The launch of the magazine comes as the paper formally opened its expanded production facility, anchored by an Advantage II press from Manugraph DGM Inc.

NewspaperDirect offering free month

To celebrate Earth Day 2008 and to encourage people to read digital newspaper editions, NewspaperDirect Inc. said it will offer users one month of free access to newspapers on PressDisplay.com when they register using offer code “Earth Day.” PressDisplay offers more than 600 newspapers’ digital editions from 74 countries in 38 languages.

NewspaperDirect estimates the number of trees saved through the use of its digital editions at more than 26,000.

In Brief

Gannett Co. Inc. shareholders re-elected Craig A. Dubow, Donna E. Shalala and Neal Shapiro to the company’s board of directors.

Randy Reese joined Polkadots Software as vice president of sales for the United States and Canada. Reese comes to Polkadots from Southern Lithoplate, where he served as strategic accounts manager.

USAToday.com launched Today in the Sky, a travel feature that lets users search for airfares and obtain other airline-oriented information.

www.flights.usatoday.com

Atex said it added Hebrew and Arabic language support to its content management software and that Israeli newspaper publisher Yedioth Ahronoth Group is the first user to deploy the upgraded software.

www.atex.com

Quipp said it sold a third insert management control system to El Tiempo in Colombia. The Newscom 6 app will be installed in the paper’s existing inserter. It also sold a Viper wrapper to the Wenatchee (Wash.) World and a bundle turner to the Evansville (Ind.) Courier & Press.

www.quipp.com

Tribune Co.’s free daily newspaper RedEye is using software from ReadOz to permit readers to access digital editions of the paper on their mobile devices. Meantime, RedEye celebrated the first anniversary of its weekend edition, with more than 100,000 opt-in subscribers.

www.readoz.com

Local.com Corp. partnered with MediaSpan to provide its Local Connect local search platform to more than 1,500 of MediaSpan’s newspaper, TV and radio clients. As part of the partnership, MediaSpan will license Local.com’s local search engine. Implementation will begin in the second quarter.

www.local.com

www.mediaspangroup.com