NAA and AP In Talks Over NICC

By: Joel Davis The Newspaper Association of America may sell its troubled NICC advertising-placement service to The Associated Press.

While officials on both sides have been tight-lipped, Tom Brettingen, AP's director of business development, acknowledged discussions have taken place. "We have talked over the years, and we continue to talk," he said.

In recent months, NICC has scrapped its Web-based ad system called eio (electronic insertion order) and lost J.C. Penney Co. Inc., a major advertiser.