The need to manage and transfer ad content has been an issue for newspapers for years.

The Arizona Republic in Phoenix has tackled the problem by using Wam!Net Inc.’s file transfer service.

The Republic chose Wam!Net’s Workspace and Internet Gateway systems two years ago because the software supported both Windows and Macintosh users.

The systems arrived at The Republic in a preassembled device, said Ken (Gecko) Silwa, publishing systems team leader.

The newspaper uses the system to communicate to 15 commercial printers and more than 400 retail and classified advertising accounts, he said.

Users can access the device through a Web browser; The Republic receives an e-mail notification and tracking number of each uploaded file.

The Wam!Net system also lets users send files through FTP or tap into a Web site to create job tickets and track the details of their account.

The Republic prints The New York Times at its main plant, the Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen at its Tucson facility and USA Today at its Chandler, Ariz., plant.

The Tucson site has a separate network access device that acts as a failover system, with redundant communications lines and data backup, Silwa said.

The facility printing USA Today connects to the main device through a virtual link concocted by Wam!Net.

Silwa said 75 staffers use the service, overseeing the production of some 1,200 electronic ads the newspaper receives each month.