[April 13, 2012]

Readers and Dinosaurs Roam the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books with Free App

With over 500 authors and celebrities, eight stages and nearly 300 exhibitors on the beautiful University of Southern California campus, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books-goers just got a mobile assist with the release of the 2012 Festival app for iPhone and Android. Available today, the new app will also bring the Festival's prehistoric mascot to life via Augmented Reality and the annual Festival Program Guide in this Sunday's print edition of The Times.

"As we began incorporating the consumer feedback we got from last year's mobile app, we realized Augmented Reality lent itself perfectly to creating a fun and unique experience," said Emily Smith, The Times' Senior Vice President, Digital. "We're constantly looking to adapt new technologies for our audiences and this was an inventive way to build on the excitement for the Festival."

Leading up to next weekend's celebration of the written word in all its forms, over 1,000 children enrolled in the USC Family of Schools and Los Angeles Times Reading Room programs were invited to submit possible names for the lovable Bob Staake-illustrated creature. The winning name will be revealed on Sunday when a 3D-animated version of the dinosaur is activated by simply hovering an app-loaded device over the related ad in the Guide.

Additional app features include a fully interactive map to easily find essentials, from ample food and parking locations to ATMs. The latest updates from The Times' Jacket Copy blog and the Festival Facebook & @latfob Twitter (News - Alert) feeds are incorporated, as well as the ability to search schedules and author and exhibitor details to create custom itineraries.

About the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books was created in 1996 to promote literacy, celebrate the written word, and bring together those who create books with the people who love to read them. More than 140,000 people attend the event annually. General event information is available online at latimesfestivalofbooks.com or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 7BOOK. Detailed speaker and event information is available in the official festival program online.

About the Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country, with a daily readership of 1.9 million and 2.9 million on Sunday, more than 17 million unique latimes.com visitors monthly and a combined print and online local weekly audience of 4.4 million. The Pulitzer Prize-winning Times has been covering Southern California for more than 130 years.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) businesses and affiliates also include The Envelope, Times Community News, LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine and Hoy Los Angeles which, combined with the flagship Los Angeles Times, reach approximately 5.1 million or 38% of all adults in the Southern California marketplace. LATMG also owns and operates California Community News as well as Tribune Direct's west coast division and is part of Tribune Company, one of the country's leading media companies with businesses in publishing, the Internet and broadcasting. Additional information is available at http://latimes.com/aboutus.

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