• by Erik Sass , June 21, 2007

The Gannett Company is investing in 4Info, a mobile search, publishing and advertising firm, in a bid to gain greater exposure for the library of local business listings accumulated by its national chain of newspapers. The new round of funding expands Gannett's earlier investments, beginning in January 2006. Gannett is also a 4Info distribution partner.

4Info, which specializes in SMS-based mobile search and alert services, allows Gannett to distribute an array of content--business listings, sports scores, stock quotes, weather updates and horoscopes.

The collaboration begins with USA Today, then extends to other Gannett newspapers and broadcast operations, including Captivate Network. "Our investment and marketing arrangement is an excellent way to extend Gannett's multi-platform approach to providing content to our customers," said Jack Williams, president of Gannett Digital. Gannett publishes 85 newspapers and nearly 1,000 non-daily publications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

In addition to Gannett's local properties, USA Today is also a 4Info partner, attracting advertisers like Chevrolet, which sponsored text message updates during the March Madness basketball championship. It also included interactive ads that led interested consumers to the nearest Chevrolet dealership.

Over the last several years, newspaper publishers have expanded their digital content delivery options, realizing the importance of branching out beyond the simple Web site format. Leading newspapers are establishing footholds in mobile distribution, with dedicated mobile-only sites from The New York Times Company and The Wall Street Journal. Newspapers may also try to form partnerships with online social networks, making their content available for citation in peer-to-peer dialogue.