Citadel Media Extends Deals With ABC News, ESPN

New Deals With ABC News And ESPN

CITADEL MEDIA has signed a long-term agreement with ABC NEWS RADIO and a multi-year extension with ESPN AUDIO. Under the terms of the agreements, the network will continue to provide advertising sales support and affiliate relations for ABC NEWS RADIO and will maintain its relationship with ESPN AUDIO to sell advertising across its portfolio of properties.

"Extending these partnerships allows our network to maintain its position as a leader in the industry," said CITADEL MEDIA Pres. JOHN ROSSO. "Our goal remains the same -- connecting advertisers with the audiences they are targeting and delivering content that drives listenership for our affiliates. ESPN AUDIO and ABC NEWS RADIO are the perfect broadcast partners to help us meet that goal."

"ABC NEWS RADIO and ESPN AUDIO represent the best-in-class offerings we strive to provide to our affiliates and advertising partners," said CITADEL BROADCASTING CEO FARID SULEMAN. "The opportunity to grow our relationships with each of these organizations is a key component to the future success of our network and demonstrates the strength of our business. We're proud to be associated with the outstanding teams behind each of these respected industry brands."

"We're pleased that CITADEL MEDIA will remain our partner in growing our wide affiliate base while also delivering opportunities for advertisers to connect with our highly attractive audiences," said ABC NEWS RADIO VP/GM STEVE JONES. "We look forward to working with JOHN and his team in the years ahead and know we can rely on them to enhance the success of our business."

Regarding Citadel's Bankruptcy Filing

ABC NEWS RADIO VP/GM STEVE JONES addressed the CITADEL situation to his staff, writing “What does this mean for us? There should be no impact to our operation. On THURSDAY night, we reached a new multi-year agreement with CITADEL to continue providing news, entertainment and sports programming to our network affiliates. This new contract is intended to survive bankruptcy and would have been submitted in their filing. In addition to continuing our role as the largest commercial radio news provider in the UNITED STATES, this new agreement provides a framework for our continued growth with CITADEL in creating new programming and services that meet the needs of the radio marketplace. It also provides us certain business benefits previously unavailable to us. In the context of a very difficult situation for our business this past year, I believe we have achieved a fair and equitable agreement that we can build on.”

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