Valley Yellow Pages

Valley Yellow Pages is owned by AGI Publishing, Inc., and is an independent Yellow Pages directory publisher serving 46 markets in Northern and Central California. An independent Yellow Pages publisher is a company that publishes Yellow Pages directories as alternatives to the local phone companies. The independent directories include similar headings and advertisements, and are distributed to local households and businesses in the market areas. Advertisements are sold to local businesses as an alternative choice to the traditional phone companies. This helps to keep local market Yellow Pages advertising costs down.

Valley Yellow Pages is headquartered in Fresno, CA and maintains 16 year-round sales offices throughout Northern and Central California. The company publishes 7.7 million directories annually and reaches more than 14.8 million households and businesses across their 46 different markets. Valley Yellow Pages is the largest independent directory publisher in Northern California and the third largest independent publisher in the nation.

According to a recent report by Simba Information, revenue for independent Yellow Pages producers exceeded $4 billion for the first time in 2008. This represents a 25% share of the Yellow Pages total industry revenue of $17+ billion. Independent revenue is expected to grow to $4.75 billion in 2009, representing a 27% share of the total Yellow Pages market.

History

AGI Publishing, Inc. was founded by three former Pacific Bell executives in 1985. It was established on the principle of bringing direct competition to the Yellow Pages marketplace. For years, utility companies held a monopoly on the marketplace. Valley Yellow Pages was created to provide consumers with a better product and advertisers with substantial advertising savings.

In 1987, AGI Publishing began operations as Valley Yellow Pages and established corporate offices in Fresno, CA. The first directory, serving the communities of Fresno & Clovis, was published in 1988. The company currently employs more than 650 people throughout Northern and Central California.

Directories

Valley Yellow Pages currently publishes the following 46 directories:

Directory	Charter Year	Distribution
Auburn, Lincoln, Loomis, & Rocklin	2001	97,000
Bakersfield and Kern County Communities	1989	295,000
Butte County	2002	126,000
Calaveras, Tuolumne, & Western Alpine Counties	2004	56,000
Campbell, Los Gatos and Saratoga	1999	90,000
Contra Costa County Central	1997	270,000
Contra Costa County East	2001	122,000
Contra Costa County West	2002	116,000
Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun City, & Dixon	1994	115,000
Fair Oaks, Folsom, Orangevale, & El Dorado Hills	2001	91,000
Fremont, Hayward, Castro Valley, Newark, and Union City	1995	270,000
Fresno-Clovis	1988	306,000
Glenn & Tehama Counties	2004	45,000
Grass Valley and Nevada City	2003	53,000
Kings and Tulare Counties	1999	225,000
Lake & Mendocino Counties	2003	93,500
Lassen and Plumas Counties	2004	31,250
Lodi & Galt	2001	58,000
Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, & Sunnyvale	1998	145,000
Madera, Kerman, & Firebaugh	1999	53,000
Marin County	2003	180,000
Merced & Mariposa Counties	1998	105,000
Monterey, Carmel, Salinas, & San Benito County	2003	225,000
Napa Valley	2000	70,000
Oakland, Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville, & San Leandro	1998	416,000
Palo Alto, Redwood City, & Menlo Park	2003	150,000
Placerville, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, & Pollock Pines	2002	76,000
Roseville & Citrus Heights	2001	129,000
Sacramento	1991	545,000
San Francisco	2003	604,000
Sanger, Reedley, Selma, Dinuba, & Kingsburg	1999	77,000
San Jose & Santa Clara	1998	533,000
San Luis Obispo County	2004	158,500
San Mateo County Central	2001	170,000
San Mateo County North	2001	96,000
Santa Cruz County	2003	152,500
Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, & Lompoc	2004	102,500
Shasta, Siskiyou & Trinity, Counties	2003	134,000
Sonoma County	2003	288,000
Stanislaus County	1990	250,000
Stockton	1993	158,000
Tracy-Manteca	1998	76,000
Tri-Valley	1996	166,000
Vallejo, Benicia, American Canyon, and Mare Island	2001	84,000
Yolo County	2000	72,000
Yuba, Sutter, & Colusa Counties	2001	84,500

Production

Valley Yellow Pages print directories include Yellow Pages. The art work and composition of the Yellow Pages are produced by ASEC International, a provider of graphic design and advertising development services.

Directories are printed by RR Donnelley, a full-service provider of print services and Yellow Pages directories.

Distribution

Distribution of Valley Yellow Pages directories occurs in two ways – Initial and newcomer delivery. Initial delivery distributes Yellow Pages directories door-to-door free of charge to businesses and households throughout specific market areas. Newcomer delivery occurs throughout the year, as businesses and residents relocate into the area. Directories are also available free of charge at local Chambers of Commerce, local Valley Yellow Pages sales offices or by calling a toll free number. (1)

Consumers may opt out of distribution by visiting yellowpagesoptout.org.

MyYP.com

MyYP.com is Valley Yellow Pages’ Internet Yellow Pages directory. It was launched in 2007 with the same user friendly format of their printed Yellow Pages. The Internet format allows advertisers to provide enhanced features to their listings that are not possible in the print format.

Due to the nature of the online medium, additional advertiser information can be included online to enhance advertising listings such as company profiles, links to company websites, printable coupons and easy to follow maps. In early 2009, features were added to include click to call and mobile access.

Environmental concerns

In recent years, the Yellow Pages industry has faced scrutiny from environmentalist groups and bloggers who claim printed Yellow Pages are a wasteful resource. This is despite studies that show Yellow Pages usage remains strong. According to a Knowledge Networks study, 71% of respondents indicated they referenced their Yellow Pages directory within the last 30 days.

While Yellow Pages print directories remain a valuable resource for consumers and advertisers, Valley Yellow Pages is making a strong effort to make them more environmentally conscious. Each directory is 100% recyclable, uses 100% non-toxic glue, is printed with inks containing soy and/or vegetable oils and is made from paper that is 100% certified to come from sustainable managed forests. Current directories are made from approximately 40% recycled materials. 100% of the fiber used in each directory is harvested in a sustainable way under the BC Forest Practices and Range Act.

San Francisco became the first city in the US to ban yellow page distribution in 2011, but is being sued in federal court by the Local Search Association, of which the Valley Yellow Pages is a member, on freedom of speech grounds.

See also

• Electronic Yellow Pages
• List of yellow pages