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Click here to see the time-lapse video of construction of the
NorthWest Cable News set updated in January 2005

(NWCN) began cablecasting on December 18, 1995. The 24-hour Northwest news network was made possible due to the successful retransmission consent negotiations between then owner, The Providence Journal Company (Projo) and the cable operators who carried the local programming of Projo owned KING Broadcasting. KING Broadcasting consists of KING-TV in Seattle, WA, KREM-TV in Spokane, WA, KGW in Portland, OR and KTVB in Boise, ID.

In late 1996, Projo announced that it would be acquired by Belo Corp. The acquisition was completed on February 28, 1997. In late 1997, in order to promote synergy within it's company, Belo Corp. announced the NorthWest Cable News would become a part of the NorthWest broadcast division.

Shortly after launching in late 1995, NWCN was seen in 1.2 million homes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana. By the end of 1997, the number of viewers had grown to 1.9 million and includes Alaska and northern California. NWCN's launch was greeted with critical acclaim. This was demonstrated by positive comments in the press and the rapid acceptance of the channel by viewers.

NWCN quickly established itself as a news leader, consistently beating CNN Headline News in the ratings. During periods of breaking news and weather coverage, NWCN has emerged as a viewer's choice; consistently seeing ratings that beats the other cable channels and, on occasion, the local network affiliates.

NorthWest Cable News is clearly a success.

About Belo Corp.

Belo Corp. is one of the nation's largest pure-play publicly-traded television companies, with annual revenue of approximately $775 million. The Company owns and operates 20 television stations reaching more than 14 percent of U.S. television households, including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and MyNetwork TV affiliates and their associated Web sites, in 15 highly-attractive markets across the United States. Belo stations consistently deliver distinguished journalism for which they have received significant industry recognition including nine Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Silver Baton Awards; eight George Foster Peabody Awards; and 19 national Edward R. Murrow Awards - all since 2000, and in each case more than any other commercial station group in the nation. Nearly all Belo stations rank first or second in their local market. Belo owns stations in seven of the top 25 markets in the nation, with six stations located in the fast-growing, top-14 markets of Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Seattle/Tacoma and Phoenix. Additionally, the Company has leveraged its local television assets to create regional cable news channels in Texas and the Northwest increasing its impact in those regions. Additional information is available at www.belo.com or by contacting Paul Fry, vice president/Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, at 214-977-6835.