Released: 09/29/2008

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 29, 2008 -- The McClatchy Company (NYSE:MNI) today named Robert G. Turner Jr. as president and publisher of the Bradenton Herald in Florida.

Turner, a 29-year Bradenton Herald employee, has served as the newspaper’s vice president of operations since 1996. He replaces William H. Fleet, who today was named president and publisher of The Fresno Bee. Turner’s appointment is effective Oct. 6.

"It's hard to imagine a better fit to lead the Bradenton Herald than Bob Turner," said Gary Pruitt, McClatchy’s chairman and chief executive officer. "Nobody knows more about that newspaper and the community than Bob. He's established an impressive record of achievement and community service in nearly three decades in Bradenton."

Turner, 56, first joined the Bradenton Herald in 1979 as retail advertising manager. He was advertising director form 1983 to 1988 and general manager from 1988 to 1996.

As vice president of operations, Turner has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the pressroom, mailroom, information technology, ad services and production, commercial print sales and building services among several other functions at the 45,000-circulation daily. He also has experience in circulation, spent two years on the editorial board and recently assumed oversight of community relations.

"This is a home run for McClatchy, the Bradenton Herald and the community," said Frank Whittaker, McClatchy vice president, operations, who oversees the company's California and Florida newspapers. "Bob is a seasoned executive and a respected leader who has a real passion for the Bradenton Herald and the Bradenton community."

Turner has held several prominent leadership roles in the community. He’s spent the past 14 years working with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. He served on the board of directors from 1990 to 1995 and was chairman of the board in 1994. Since 2000, he has served on the chamber’s Economic Development Council Board of Directors and is the council’s chairman-elect in 2008.

Turner holds a business degree from the University of South Florida and has been active with the university’s Sarasota-Manatee campus and community programs for nearly two decades. In 2005, he was honored with the University of South Florida President’s Distinguished Citizen Award.

"There is no place I would rather be than Manatee County, Fla., and to be able to continue my career here is a dream come true," Turner said. "It is a wonderful place to live. This newspaper has strong momentum and a proven record of community-minded journalism. We have a great group of employees that share the mission of good local journalism, involvement in their community and running a solid business."

Turner was born and raised in Columbus, Ga. He started his career in 1973 as an advertising sales representative for his hometown newspaper, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer. He is married to Dottie Turner. The couple have two adult children, Robert and Stephanie.

About McClatchy

The McClatchy Company is the third largest newspaper company in the United States, with 30 daily newspapers, approximately 50 non-dailies, and direct marketing and direct mail operations. McClatchy also operates leading local websites in each of its markets which extend its audience reach. The websites offer users comprehensive news and information, advertising, e-commerce and other services. Together with its newspapers and direct marketing products, these interactive operations make McClatchy the leading local media company in each of its premium high growth markets. McClatchy-owned newspapers include The Miami Herald, The Sacramento Bee, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Kansas City Star, The Charlotte Observer, and The (Raleigh) News & Observer.

McClatchy also owns a portfolio of premium digital assets, including 14.4% of CareerBuilder, the nation's largest online job site, and 25.6% of Classified Ventures, a newspaper industry partnership that offers two of the nation's premier classified websites: the auto website, cars.com, and the rental site, apartments.com. McClatchy is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MNI.

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