SACRAMENTO, Calif. — August 29, 2005 — Based on credible published reports, the board of directors of the Alternative Weekly Network (AWN) is aware that its largest member organization, Village Voice Media, is currently in, or has recently engaged in, merger negotiations with the parent company of AWN’s chief competitor, New Times, Inc. We are not aware that any such merger is final, and it is far too early to project the full impact of such a merger on the national sales operations of any of the entities involved, but we felt it prudent to address some of the immediate issues raised.

First and foremost, AWN remains committed to delivering the highest-caliber customer service to our advertising clients, and will not abide any course of action that jeopardizes the ability of our clients to reach their target customers by advertising in our member publications.

AWN is a cooperative made up of 110 member publications. While we would deeply miss the loss of our friends and partners in VVM, we are proud of the strength of our entire membership, and confident in our ability to find strong replacement partners in key markets. Most importantly, we want to ensure our members that we will aggressively represent their interests.

Mark Hanzlik
Executive Director

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For more information, contact:
Brian Hieggelke, AWN president
(312)243-8786 x29 or brian@newcity.com