While politics has always made for strange bedfellows, it seems the same could be said for the web. In a deal announced today, newspaper competitors Tribune Co. and Gannett have found a common ground. The two will work on a joint venture to expand Tribune's Metromix local entertainment web network throughout the U.S.

Metromix, a collection of local sites that leverages some of the nation's leading newspapers, provides users with information on bars, restaurants and entertainment. In theory, the enterprise has the winning combination of relevant content and the coveted 21- to 34-year-old demographic group. However, advertisers haven't rushed to embrace Metromix just yet because the network lacks scale.

Enter Gannett, which should expand Metromix to more than 40 U.S. markets by the end of 2008.

"We need national scale to be able to compete more effectively," Tribune Interactive President Tim Landon told Reuters. "In terms of accessing national dollars, you've got to have a good, national footprint covering the top 10, 20, 30 markets."

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.