NBC and The Mining Co. in Alliance

NBC Interactive Neighborhood and The Mining Co., a network of Web sites providing guidance on more than 500 topics, agreed to integrate The Mining Co.’s guides into NBC Interactive Neighborhood (NBC-IN).

NBC Interactive Neighborhood operates Your Hometown Homepage, a locally customized Internet content package of community information and services offered to NBC-owned stations and affiliates.

As part of the pact, The Mining Co. will create new community-focused content for every participating NBC-IN market in cities and towns nationwide. And NBC will acquire a minority equity interest in General Internet Inc., the parent of The Mining Co. Financial specifics of the deal were not disclosed.

NBC-IN, which launched in October 1997, offers localized content categories, integrated into one service that is customized for the local community and the local NBC station. Through local station homepages, NBC-IN offers shopping for a of services ranging from local theater and restaurant listings provided by Microsoft Sidewalk to Yellow Page directories from Big Yellow to buying a car or a house.

Each Mining Co. GuideSite is dedicated to a single subject, and each is run by a qualified individual, selected for his or her topical expertise and Internet savvy. GuideSites offer original feature articles, hand-picked links to other relevant Internet resources, newsletters, discussion areas, book recommendations, and more.

Said Martin J. Yudkovitz, president, NBC Interactive, “The Mining Company’s exhaustive topic guides will significantly help NBC-IN build on its success as a destination service that helps users break through the Internet clutter.”

Scott Kurnit, founder and CEO of The Mining Company, said: “Decades ago, NBC gathered scattered local stations across the country into a single network, supporting and extending their value with powerful network resources and support. This past year, The Mining Company did the exact same thing on the Internet.”

“Both networks exist to extend the abilities of their affiliates to create stronger bonds with their audiences. Together, they make a very powerful combination,” continued Kurnit.

NBC-IN says it has commitments to promote the service on air to 86.3% of daily viewers in the desirable 18 to 49 Internet demographic via more than 100 committed NBC stations.

Content partners include Microsoft’s Sidewalk, InfoSeek, BigYellow, Realtor.com, Rent Net, Auto-By-Tel, Preview Travel, The Monster Board, HOT Coupons, and GIST.

Advertisers include Cathay Pacific in the Airline category, Mazda in the Auto Category, and K-mart in Retail.