MPRC and MaineToday.com launch Maine News Direct
Unique service allows companies to post news directly online. - 6/17/2003
MaineToday.com and the Maine Public Relations Council have teamed up to present Maine News Direct, a unique service that allows companies to post news releases directly online while efficiently sending them to media outlets statewide.Businesses can se up an account with Maine News Direct that allows them to publish their news release directly onto the business pages of MaineToday.com. The popular Business section is a must-read for the business community, with a calendar of events, classifieds and the latest news from the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram, Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel. With 5 million page views every month, MaineToday.com is the highest-traffic Web destination north of Boston.
In addition to publishing online immediately, users can choose from more than 150 print, radio and television contacts to send a release via email.
For $150 a year, businesses can send five news releases every month. Additional releases can be sent at the cost of $2.50 per release. MPRV members receive a 10 percent discount on the cost of an annual account.
Jessica Tomlinson, MaineToday.com's project manager for the joint venture, said it took a year from conception to "soft launch", meaning it was initially announced only to MPRC members.
Tomlinson said a number of different companies have signed up. "They include several public relations firms, and we hope they'll eventually sign up their clients individually, which would provide each client with a news release archive."