The agenda is shaping up well for the Local Search Association’s April conference, the first involving a partnership with BIA/Kelsey. The event runs April 21-24 at the Boca Resort in Boca Raton, FL.
We’ve lined up headline presentation from Ursula Worth, Google’s head of directories and web hosting partnerships, and Mary Boysman, VP of Brand Marketing …

On Thursday’s Q4 and full-year 2011 earnings call, Eniro announced that it will phase out its print Gula Sider (Yellow Pages) directory in Norway, leaving only local directories as a print product choice in the Nordic country with a population of 4 million.
The move is yet another sign that the core Yellow Pages directory is …

Yellow Media is cutting jobs in its Canpages print directories division but says it will keep its Canpages online business.
“From an online and mobile perspective, the Canpages brand will continue to exist,” said Yellow Pages Group Treasurer Anne-Sophie Roy. Roy gave no word on how many jobs would be lost or which Canpages city directories …

On yesterday’s AT&T earnings call, CEO Randall Stephenson opened the door to the possibility that the telecom giant would sell off its directories business.
Here is what Stephenson said on yesterday’s earnings call: “That’s one area that we’re going to obviously take a very hard look at, and while I don’t want to give any indication …

U.S. directory and local search player The Berry Co. has scooped up defunct search marketing firm WebVisible’s Geneva platform from a liquidator in the wake of that company’s collapse.
“This acquisition will dramatically enhance our presence and capabilities in the digital local search space,” said John Fischer, interim president and CEO of TBC Holdings and Berry. …

A few years ago, the location of businesses became a big question mark, as well as a strategic issue, as people wanted to shop or dine nearby. These “geo-fencing” issues were especially important for Yellow Pages companies.
Since then, search has become more the norm, along with GPS-based phones, which have location baked into them. What …

AT&T Interactive is launching a contest today to encourage online and mobile application developers to use its APIs to build new uses for local business data. ATTi is trying to tap into the collective creativity and brainpower of the developer community to extent the reach of its online and mobile advertisers.
ATTI’s main products are its …

We reported at the end of the year that Yell is moving in a new strategic direction. This week, the Yellow Pages publisher announced the appointment of Matt Anderson as its new chief strategy and business development officer. Anderson has previous experience as a partner in the consumer media and digital division of Booz & …

The Sweden-based local search company Eniro has acquired some of the assets of De Gule Sider in Denmark, the Yellow Pages operation closed down recently by European Directories.
EDSA has made the decision to discontinue print directories in Denmark, where it held the incumbent position, while selling many of its online/mobile assets to Eniro. Among the …

The European directory and local search operator Truvo has taken major steps toward consolidating around its flagship Belgian operation. On Dec. 22, Truvo “divested” its operation in Ireland, selling it to Contact Holdings, which operates Yellow Pages companies in the Baltic States. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Truvo has also dramatically curtailed its senior …

Heavily leveraged Yell Group has earned some breathing room from a deal with its lenders announced yesterday. Yell announced that it has reached terms with the “overwhelming majority of lenders” to increase the headroom on its debt. Without such concessions, Yell was at risk of violating the covenants, which require the company to stay within a …

Local Search Association President Neg Norton announced today at ILM West in San Francisco that the trade group would work with BIA/Kelsey to produce its annual conference, April 21-24 in Boca Raton, Florida.
Norton said the LSA is committed to developing a robust agenda for the April conference. He cited this as a key reason for working …

Dex One Chief Strategy Officer David Sharman shared with us today some of the key challenges the longtime traditional directory publisher is facing as it evolves its business into the digital world. The primary challenge that he sees in the space is the overwhelming choice and complexity of marketing options for the local business.
Specifically for …

The Toronto-based call measurement firm Telmetrics today announced a major expansion of its business into Europe, launching its solution in 10 markets. The launch follows a six-month beta test in which Telmetrics proved out the value of its service for search engines, agencies, publishers and other local search providers.
Telmetrics has been provisioning call measurement services …

Seems every year is a year of transformation in the global Yellow Pages industry. This year is no different, with more leadership changes, financial turmoil, and a much more aggressive push into new strategies and new products. There is a growing sense that some directory publishers are turning in a direction where a return to …

Yellow Medya, formerly Turkey Yellow Pages, announced a partnership today with the world’s largest travel site, TripAdvisor, in Turkey. The Yellow Pages publisher will integrate TripAdvisor onto all its platforms, including online and mobile. As a result, it will have access to TripAdvisor reviews and opinions for accommodations, restaurants, attractions and all hospitality businesses currently …

Last week, Local Insight Media emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, roughly one year after seeking protection from its creditors.
The company emerges from bankruptcy with a new structure, a new board of directors and a more manageable balance sheet, having eliminated 90 percent of its debt. The company is also adopting a familiar new name — …

A big chunk of the newspaper industry has banded together to adopt Find n Save, a shopping platform featuring a single place to review deals, product inventory, weekly specials, “cents off” grocery deals and local ads.
Participating newspaper companies include many of the companies participating in the Yahoo search and national advertising consortium and the Zillow …

In the wake of Groupon’s successful IPO, Angie’s List is apparently set to issue its own IPO on Thursday. The offering would raise up to $113 million for the Indianapolis-based company, which provides members-only reviews of services and medical providers. For us, the big question is whether consumers will continue to be willing …

Yellow Pages Group New Zealand is now the first Google AdWords Premier SME Partner in New Zealand after inking a deal last week. The partnership is designed to enhance YP NZ’s suite of digital marketing services.
“We need to transform and take our legacy print business to address customer needs in the digital environment,” CEO Scott …