Watch Out AutoTrader - Free Auto Guide Debuts in Charlotte, NC

NEW YORK--March 19, 2004 PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides, the nation's largest provider of free apartment and new home directories, today announced the launch of Auto Guide®, a free weekly color publication for consumers featuring the most comprehensive listings of used cars, SUVs and trucks for sale by auto dealerships available on the market today. PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides' entrance into the $160 billion franchised dealer used vehicle retail market capitalizes on the strength and experience of its free publishing business and its market-leading distribution business, DistribuTech, which distributes publications in more than 49,000 locations across the U.S.

"PRIMEDIA's expansion into the used car and truck market represents a significant growth opportunity for our business and is one that we are uniquely positioned to lead from the first day Auto Guide® launches," said Bob Metz, chief executive officer, PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides. "The scope and size of our business, when combined with our experience and unmatched distribution capabilities, has enabled us to launch this publication with minimal capital investment. More importantly, we are doing so from a position of strength. No other free publication in the market today enables used car and truck dealers to reach more consumers faster and more effectively than Auto Guide®. Given the initial success of our first issue, we are very optimistic about the growth prospects for Auto Guide® in this market and many others."

Premiering in Charlotte, NC on March 19, the initial issue of Auto Guide® and its Web site (www.charlotteautoguide.com) features more than 1,400 used cars and trucks from 34 franchised dealers in the Charlotte area. Auto Guide® will be available to consumers in more than 675 locations, including free publication racks found in major retailers such as Harris Teeter, Winn Dixie, Kmart, Eckerd Drug, Kerr Drug, Hardy Pantry, Petro Express and The Pantry, making it the most widely distributed source of free used automobile information in Charlotte.

Auto Guide® delivers value to its advertisers by using cutting-edge technology, including digital cameras and tablet PC's, on site with dealerships to photograph the vehicles and instantaneously capture data used in the classified ads. This enables the guide to be completed and delivered significantly faster than the competition, therefore delivering the most current used car inventory available. This speed to market, combined with its extensive distribution, provides Auto Guide® advertisers with a unique advantage to reach a wider range of consumers at a much faster pace.

"Auto Guide® provides consumers with an easy way to find the vehicle they are looking for without having to turn page after page," said Gary Austin, president, PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides. "Patterned after our successful Apartment Guide and using a very easy 'shop and compare' format, Auto Guide® will be of great benefit to consumers and a powerful platform for dealers looking to sell used cars and trucks."

Auto Guide® is expected to launch in the Raleigh and Greensboro, NC markets this spring, with several others planned to potentially launch in the top 50 metro auto markets.

About PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides

PRIMEDIA Consumer Guides is the largest publisher and distributor of free publications, including Apartment Guide, New Homes Guide and the recently launched Auto Guide. This segment publishes and distributes 81 Apartment Guides in 75 regional markets with a combined monthly circulation of 1.6 million. Through the Guides and their Web sites, the company generated 5.8 million leads for apartment property managers in 2003. Consumer Guides' distribution arm, DistribuTech, has exclusive distribution relationships with many of the country's leading supermarkets and chain stores and last year distributed more than 2,000 publications to these venues on behalf of other publishing organizations.