yelvington.com

The universe of "Amigos" officially expanded today with the announcement of an expanded relationship between Yahoo and a set of newspaper companies that has grown to 12 with the addition of McClatchy.

The deal now covers participation by 264 newspapers across 44 states in Yahoo's targeted advertising network and search technology. Newspapers will be able to sell locally targeted advertising delivered on Yahoo's network, and Yahoo will be able to sell national advertising into newspaper websites. There also will be extensive linking to local newspapers' content from Yahoo.com, which could become a major traffic driver for the newspapers.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune has a curiously headlined story: "Papers leery of online deals." The Tribune Company and Gannett are the major players sitting on the sidelines. The Los Angeles Times cites a source who calls McClatchy's switch "a huge swing vote in the industry."