NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep. 9, 2009-- The New York Times announced today that iShares, a global leader of exchange traded funds, will be the exclusive presenting sponsor of the 2009 fall TimesTalks event series. TimesTalks feature discussions between celebrated newsmakers and New York Times journalists. The events are held before an audience at TheTimesCenter, a state-of-the-art performance venue located in Times Square.

“At iShares we encourage the exchange of ideas, which is why we’re very proud to be the presenting sponsor of the fall 2009 TimesTalks series,” said Michael Latham, co-C.E.O., iShares. “We were attracted to TimesTalks and the program’s ability to showcase in-depth, thought-provoking discussions on a wide range of topics in an intimate setting. This is a series that provides all New Yorkers with an open forum to discuss and react to events that are important to them. We’re pleased to be associated with such an event.”

“We are thrilled to have iShares as the presenting sponsor of TimesTalks,” said Yasmin Namini, senior vice president, marketing and circulation, The New York Times. “This is a natural fit for their smart consumers and for our audience of educated and influential readers.”

Among the many TimesTalks scheduled for the fall are one-on-one discussions between sportscaster Bob Costas and sports reporter Michael Schmidt; chef Mario Batali and dining reporter Kim Severson; and actor Alec Baldwin and book critic Janet Maslin. Panel discussions include “Changes in Women’s Lives,” with Gloria Steinem, Wilma Mankiller and Farai Chideya, led by Op-Ed columnist Gail Collins; and “Legends of the Marathon,” with renowned athletes Joan Benoit Samuelson and Grete Waitz, led by Well columnist Tara Parker-Pope. New events are added frequently and updated at NYTimes.com/timestalks.com.

About The New York Times Company

The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers, WQXR-FM and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

About iShares

iShares is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over 380 funds for institutions, financial advisors and individuals. iShares is a business unit of Barclays Global Investors, one of the world’s largest asset managers and a leading global provider of investment management products and services with more than 2,900 institutional clients and $1.7 trillion of assets under management as of June 30, 2009. BGI transformed the investment industry by creating the first index strategy in 1971 and the first quantitative active strategy in 1979.

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com

Source: The New York Times Company

The New York Times
Pat Eisemann, 212-556-8719
eisemp@nytimes.com