AP PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK -- asap is coming.

The Associated Press is set to launch its younger audience service Sept. 19. The news cooperative's Internet-embracing multimedia initiative is aimed at 18- to 34-year-olds.

asap is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by the AP to provide content targeted to a specific demographic group. It was conceived in 2004 in response to the newspaper industry's quest to slow declining circulation in the United States amongst younger readers.

In 2005, AP's board of directors approved the go-ahead for the project at the annual meeting in April. "As the audience turns to new platforms and adopts new habits, the news must follow," said Tom Curley, AP president and CEO, who announced the new service would start in September.

So, what is asap?

In short, asap is premium content for a premium audience delivered as a premium service.

asap, pronounced øa-s-a-pÓ with the connotation of "as soon as possible," is a new product designed for use with every news format, including the Internet, wireless, newspapers and niche publications. asap's words, pictures, sounds, moving images, blogs and audience-participation features aim to entice the 70 million 18-to-34-year-olds in the U.S. into becoming the next generation of news consumers by drawing them to AP's member sites.

Ted Anthony, the 30-something journalist who led the group that created the prototype and now produces asap, puts it this way: The soon-to-launch service pursues a younger audience looking for news and information on their terms with form, function and sharp writing.

asap's original content will be provocative, smart, relevant and immediate. Anthony's team of mostly 20-something and 30-something journalists will deliver the latest in news, entertainment, lifestyles, money and gadgets, and sports on a daily basis.

øWe're doing things the AP has never done, and we're using the incredible global scope of this organization to bring the most interesting stories in the world to people in entirely new ways,'' said Anthony.

asap is built on AP's standards of accuracy, credibility and values, and its unmatched global sweep. After the launch, there will be more details about what content is available, who the journalists are behind it, and where to see asap in action.

The Associated Press is the world's oldest and largest newsgathering organization, providing content to more than 15,000 news outlets with a daily reach of 1 billion people around the world. Its multimedia services are distributed by satellite and the Internet to more than 120 nations.

contact: Jack Stokes, AP Corporate Communications, 212.621.1720.