| Date: |
August 16, 2007 |
| Contact: |
Tristram
E. Collins |
| Phone: |
609-452-9696 |
NASSAU
BROADCASTING AND ENTERCOM COMMUNICATIONS CORP
ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Entercom’s
WEEI Sports Radio to be Syndicated on 11 Nassau Stations
Across New England
Nassau and Entercom Form Joint Venture to Own and Operate
WCRB FM and Preserve 60-Year Heritage Classical Format
August
16, 2007- Princeton, NJ - Nassau Broadcasting Partners,
L.P. today announced the signing of
a letter of intent for eleven Nassau Broadcasting stations
to carry the programming content of Entercom Boston’s
WEEI Sports Radio. Separately, Nassau and Entercom have also
signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture to own
and operate Nassau’s WCRB-FM in Boston.
WEEI
Sports Radio is the nation’s leading sports talk
radio station. Nassau’s stations are joining Entercom’s
already successful extension of its WEEI brand in three markets
on its wholly owned stations: WEEI-FM in Providence, WVEI-FM
in Springfield, MA, and WVEI-AM in Worcester, MA.
The agreement
with Entercom will provide WEEI’s programming
to the following Nassau Broadcasting radio markets:
Portland, ME
Cape Cod, MA
Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction, NH-VT
Concord (Lakes Regions), NH
Montpelier-Barre-St. Johnsbury, VT
Separately,
Entercom will make a cash investment and own approximately
50% of
WCRB-FM. Entercom and Nassau intend
to maintain the station’s 60-year heritage Classical
Music format. Nassau will continue to manage and operate
the station. The parties will also seek opportunities to
capitalize on Entercom’s strong position in the market
to benefit WCRB listeners and advertisers.
In the Boston market, Entercom owns WEEI-AM, WRKO-AM, WAAF-FM,
WKAF-FM, and WMKK-FM, and is the radio home of the Boston
Red Sox, Boston Celtics and Patriots Monday.
Entercom’s President and CEO David Field stated: “We
could not be more pleased with our new partnership with Nassau
Broadcasting, but the big winners today are millions of listeners
across New England. Together, Nassau and Entercom have come
together to preserve WCRB and its’ cherished Classical
format that has provided a home for the arts for hundreds
of thousands of listeners in the greater Boston area. In
addition, we will be bringing America’s #1 sports radio
station to millions of listeners throughout New England for
the first time.”
Nassau
Broadcasting’s Lou Mercatanti stated: “We
are delighted to have Entercom as a partner in our heritage
radio station WCRB in Boston. After our acquisition of the
station less than a year ago, we have been overwhelmed by
the positive response from our listeners with regards to
both our preservation of the Classical format in Boston and
the improvements we have made to enhance the station and
its programming. Now, as partners with Entercom, the premier
broadcaster in Boston, we believe that both our listeners
and advertisers will benefit greatly from the partnership.
Additionally, we are extremely pleased to be able to provide
the programming of WEEI to an initial group of 11 of our
radio stations that are part of our extensive radio group
in New England. Millions of New England sports thirsty listeners
will now have full access to the highly successful sports
programming and personalities of WEEI.”
About Entercom Communications
Entercom is one of the nation's largest radio broadcasters,
with operations in San Francisco, Boston, Seattle, Denver,
Sacramento, Portland, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Milwaukee,
Austin, Norfolk, Buffalo, New Orleans, Providence, Memphis,
Greensboro, Rochester, Greenville/Spartanburg, Madison, Wichita,
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Springfield and Gainesville/Ocala.
About Nassau Broadcasting
Nassau
Broadcasting Partners, L.P., a privately held firm in Princeton,
New Jersey, currently owns and/or operates
53 radio stations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland,
Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. The Company's
web site is www.nassaubroadcasting.com.