Lee Enterprises is rolling out real estate mapping software from Classified Concepts across half its 55 daily newspapers.

Classified Concepts’ Open House Locator Map software will let Lee papers print maps that plot out locations of area open houses. The software will also enable the display of companion maps on each paper’s Web site that include features such as send-to-phone driving directions and aerial views.

Two Lee dailies in Montana, including the Billings Gazette, went live with the app last month, said Jeff Herr, Lee’s director of interactive media, with 23 more papers slated to have the software implemented by April.

“We decided to bring on Classified Concepts to enhance our real-estate maps online and to deliver excellent maps for our print products,” Herr said.

“One of the main components of our online development was finding a way for our classified real estate sections to serve both sides of our core constituency — real estate partners, and readers of real estate advertising.

“Since open houses are the key events in real estate, we wanted to have a unique yet reader friendly way to showcase them — in print and online.”

Ad revenue is generated by the advertising and sponsorship opportunities on and around both the print and online maps, Classified Concepts said.

Adapting to change

Rolling out Open House Locator Map is the latest step Lee has taken to fortify its papers’ online classified ad sections.

In 2006, Lee was one of the original eight newspaper groups to partner with Yahoo and its HotJobs initiative.

Last November it partnered with Zillow.com, allowing real estate advertisers to choose to have their listings and ads displayed on Zillow.com as well as on the classified ad pages of their local newspapers.

Herr said that no other media provides the local coverage readers want or the reach advertisers seek than newspapers, especially during turbulent economic times.

“People ask, why spend time on real estate when the market is tanking?’” he said. “ And I answer that during a slow market, homebuyers are much more deliberate, which means they need to have access to the best local information before making that decision to buy or not to buy.”