Monster swallows papers' job classifieds

[From The Associated Press, July 26, 2006]

Two Philadelphia newspapers, The Inquirer and The Daily News have ditched their own competing product for online classified ads, CareerBuilder, in favour of Monster.com's.

The new realities of any newspaper's Internet strategy: If we partner, they will come.

The two Philadelphia newspapers used to be owned by Knight Ridder and are now owned by Philadelphia Media Holdings.

It and Monster will be launching a co-branded jobs site Aug. 14 through the newspapers' Web site, Philly.com, the first such venture between a big-city newspaper publisher and Monster.

Monster said its own local offerings would be enhanced, while Philadelphia Media Holdings said the partnership would give employers a broader reach in their search for job candidates.

CareerBuilder was jointly owned by the newspaper publishers Gannett, Tribune Co. and now McClatchy, which inherited the stake in the business when it purchased Knight Ridder last month.

Brian Tierney, chairman and chief executive of Philadelphia Media Holdings, said the deal with Monster would be good for his newspapers in the long run because its extensive job listings, résumé database and human resources tools would attract more employers to advertise.