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NetInformer Powers Election Text Message Polls for the Bakersfield Californian and KBAK CBS-29

October 18, 2004, Bakersfield, California — NetInformer, a leading wireless interactive media and mobile marketing company, today announced it is powering live election text message polls for two of Bakersfield’s leading news organizations. The Bakersfield Californian newspaper and its television partner, CBS affiliate KBAK-TV (29 Eyewitness News), are using NetInformer’s technology and services to connect with voters across the region.

Traditional opinion polls target land-line phones, potentially excluding voters that are not at home or in the office during the brief time pollsters’ calls are made. In the final run-up to this year’s hotly contested election, however, The Bakersfield Californian and KBAK CBS-29, are capturing local voter feedback via mobile phone.

Over the next three weeks, real-time text polls of Presidential, Congressional and State Legislature races will be a key element of part of the media outlets’ election promotion program. The wireless polls are featured in advertisements at the Pacific Movie Theater, the Valley Plaza mall, and in the local Red Robin restaurant, as well as in newspaper and television announcements.

“Text message polls are a great way to get our audience involved,” said Tim Repsher, The Californian's technology manager. “The newspaper will push election results to wireless phones as the polls start closing. When voters see our poll questions, they can become part of the election instantly, and will more closely identify with our brand. It is also a smart way to get younger people interested our election coverage through a technology they already use each and every day. Someone could be out in a restaurant, untethered from any media, and still keep up with who’s winning the election.”

“We are providing The Californian and KBAK-TV the ability to let voters express support for their candidates and voice their opinions on political issues wherever they happen to be,” said Greg Pinter, CEO of NetInformer. “Our text polling results are an accurate and immediate reflection of participants viewpoints, and a new method of gauging public opinion that can be used by any media outlet to connect with the community.”

The paper's Web site, www.bakersfield.com, presents continuously updated results of the polls through NetInformer’s polling application. The company’s text message system will also deliver local and national election results to the mobile phones of those who participated in any of the polls. The election results text messages are sponsored by the local Red Robin restaurant, and poll participants will receive a mobile coupon for a discount on a future meal.

The Californian has one more enticement for getting voters to participate in the polls: prizes will be awarded to randomly selected poll participants. One voter will win a portable DVD player and another voter will win a digital camera.

About NetInformer

NetInformer enables the delivery of 2-way text and digital data to mobile phones for information, advertising, entertainment, and interactive television and radio. The company offers connectivity across all North American carrier networks with access to more than 170 million wireless subscribers. For more information about mobile media services or our specific newspaper Xtra! package, please contact us.

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