Knight Ridder Launch Free Online Merchandise Classifieds; Other Changes

According to an e-mail alert send out by Classified Intelligence: As of today, all self-placed, private-party, online-only merchandise ads are free in 22 of 27 Knight Ridder markets — the next phase in KR’s reinvention of its newspapers’ classifieds. The free ads are available in all but some of Knight Ridder’s smallest markets.

The move puts Knight Ridder on a more equal footing with Craigslist and other free-ad sites, especially in larger markets, and allows the papers to develop new audiences — and new revenue streams.

AP: Online classifieds in most other categories, including real estate, automotive and help wanted, will continue to cost money to display. As part of the pricing shift, Knight Ridder will start charging for classified ads featuring pets – a category that had been free under a test program introduced in November.

Related: Tribune Brings Free Classifieds to 12 Markets

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