The Buffalo News is expanding its online presence in a big way by putting editorial content on its web site for the first time and creating a second web site -buffalo.com.

The News, after years of operating a web site with advertising only, is planning to debut an on-line newspaper in late summer or early fall.

The site, known as buffnews.com, will include stories from that day's morning edition as well as a limited archive consisting of recently produced material.

By limiting the editorial content to what's in the newspaper, The News is expanding the Guild's jurisdiction over its existing web site.  That very issue was a sticking point in the last round of bargaining.

"This is great news," said Guild President Bob DiCesare.  "This expands our online jurisdiction from just classified advertising to editorial content as well."

The company also has plans for a new web site - a so-called portal site - that will serve as a link to other non-newspaper sites.

The new web site is intended as a community site - a place people will turn to for all sorts of information, from weather to special events to meeting notices.

It would supply that information by providing readers with direct, one-click access to web sites such as the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, the Buffalo Sabres and dozens of other community groups.

The site also will provide readers with immediate access to The Buffalo News.

The company will call the site buffalo.com and recently bought the on-line name from a company in Wyoming.
Guild leaders have several questions and concerns about the new web site and plan to monitor the project as it unfolds in the coming weeks.

A committee of Guild leaders and members will take on the task of monitoring the progress of the web site and to protect the Guild's jurisdiction over work produced for or on the web site.

As part of the new site, The News is considering partnerships with other local companies. One of them, the Guild has learned from outside sources, is Adelphia Communications, the cable TV company owned by the Rigas family.

The News' potential relationship with Adelphia follows its own protests over sportswriters who do free-lance work for the cable company. The Guild is currently challenging The News' order that those writers end their business relationship with Adelphia.

News executives said the new web site is the result of advertisers asking for a greater on-line presence by The News.

Buffalo News Executive Vice President Warren Colville is heading the project.