Sun-Times Media Group Inc. (STNG) on Wednesday announced that in June, total page views for the company's Web sites increased year-on-year by 45 percent, to 54.6 million.

Additionally, the time users spent on the STNG sites increased to more than nine minutes on average, the Herald News reported Thursday.

"These numbers show there is a growing hunger for local Chicago area news, sports and commentary. The Sun-Times News Group is delivering increasingly robust products online that are clearly showing results in the data we are seeing," said STNG President and CEO Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr.

STNG Web sites rank in the top 10 U.S. newspaper sites, with more than 3.5 million unique users per month. Each week, they attract 4.2 million readers, according to Scarborough research, the Herald News reported.

Last month, STNG announced a deal with Yahoo Inc. “to enhance its online advertising offerings and increase its sizable audiences through a strategic alliance,” according to the Herald News.

The company includes more than 90 local sites, including those corresponding to 70 suburban publications.