WUAB-TV Launches Cleveland Area Social Network at My.43.Net

Partners with KickApps Corporation for community platform technology

Cleveland, Ohio — MY43.NET (Thursday, January 18) — WUAB-TV has partnered with KickApps Corporation to power the social networking component of their new website, My43.Net. My43.Net pioneers a road less traveled by most broadcasters — creating an online platform centered on its community rather than its programming. My43.Net has created an online outlet to appeal to the elusive younger demographic with interactive multimedia at a hyper local focus.

The core components of this newly re-branded site include daily updates from local stories provided by a local alternative weekly, The Free Times, and user submitted content housed by the KickApps platform. The community now has an online resource for finding concert information, local bands, local sports, college tours, dating advice and contests, and meeting and connecting with friends — all backed with the marketing and production power of broadcast.

Traffic to the new site has seen a 30% increase in monthly visits with no on-air promotion. "We expect to reach the one million page view mark after our promotions hit the air," said Adam Clark, Internet Manager at WUAB-TV/WOIO-TV. "Using the KickApps platform, we were able to launch the social networking and video sharing features of the leading portal sites and create an engaging community experience at My43.Net within days."

The KickApps platform provides major media and high traffic websites with full social networking and user generated content functionality, including video, photo and audio uploads. Websites powered by KickApps have access to a suite of media management, member management and reporting tools that help protect brands and advertisers from inappropriate content. The KickApps deployment at My43.Net also includes "viral widgets", video blogging, ratings and video-enabled personal pages. The KickApps "steal this" widget feature allows visitors to easily display all of the latest community and premium video content from My43.Net on their own outside personal pages and websites.

"Local context will be a major driver in the next great evolution of social networking and user generated content community," said Eric Alterman, KickApps' Founder and Chairman. "KickApps makes all of the technology to offer these community services available to television and radio broadcaster, network affiliate, newspaper, and other local content provider websites on a turn-key basis. WUAB-TV's deployment at My43.Net is a pioneering showcase."

WUAB-TV: Adam Clark, 216/367-7370, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

About WUAB-TV

WUAB, identified on-air as My 43, is the My Network TV affiliate in Cleveland, Ohio. The station also covers Northwest Pennsylvania. It was an independent station from its inception in 1968 to 1995. In 1995 it became a dual UPN/WB affiliate becoming a sole UPN affiliate in 1997 after both networks expanded their lineups. As the two network's lineups expanded to 7 days a week, WUAB stayed with UPN. Between 1999 and 2002, the channel was known as "Hometeam 43" to promote the fact that they carried both the Indians and Cavaliers. It was also known for a time as "43 The Block". Its transmitter is located in Parma, Ohio.

The station, along with WOIO, is currently owned by Raycom Media, and together WOIO and WUAB are the largest stations in the group. WOIO now manages WUAB's news division producing a 10 p.m. newscast under the banner "19 Action News at 10".

About KickApps

Selected by BusinessWeek readers as Best of the Web 2008, KickApps provides brands, enterprises and web publishers with solutions that enable social, interactive, dynamic, distributed and data-informed web experiences. KickApps solutions consist of a suite of hosted social and media applications and services that are used by some of the world’s largest websites and brands to grow & engage their online audiences and foster deeper relationships with customers. Clients include: Budget Travel, H&R Block, U2, CW Television, Guinness World Records, Special Olympics, HBO, Cinemax, Cox Television, the Phoenix Suns, the New York Knicks, the New York Rangers and thousands of other sites. For more information, visit www.kickapps.com and www.kickdeveloper.com.

KickApps Public Relations