| Astral Media to acquire Standard Radio |
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Montreal, April 12, 2007 -Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to purchase substantially all of Standard Radio Inc's assets.
The purchase price for the Standard Radio assets is approximately $1.08 billion of which $880 million will be paid in cash and the balance via the issuance of 4.75 million Class A non-voting shares of Astral Media valued at approximately $200 million at the current share price. The cash portion of the consideration will be "This is an important acquisition for Astral Media that will bring much value to our shareholders," indicated Ian Greenberg, President and CEO of Astral Media. "The acquisition of Standard Radio from the Slaight family means that Astral Media will become the largest radio broadcaster in Canada. It is an acquisition that will be immediately accretive to earnings, while allowing Astral Media to maintain its financial discipline and prudent capital structure. Not only is the strategic fit very sound - adding English-language media properties in geographic areas across Canada where we are not currently present, Astral Media and Standard Radio "We are also very pleased to be welcoming Standard's more than 1,000 talented employees and experienced management team; our combined radio properties will offer listeners and advertisers alike, a diverse choice of quality brands across the entire breadth of the country." "Astral Media's acquisition of Standard Radio is an exciting turning point in the history of our company," said Gary Slaight, President and CEO of Standard Broadcasting. "I feel a sense of pride today to be able to announce that we have finalized this deal which will see the company that Allan Slaight bought in 1985 and The assets to be purchased include Standard Radio's 52 radio stations, which operate in five provinces covering 29 markets across Canada, including some of the most recognized and listened-to radio brands in the industry: EZ ROCK, MIX, THE BEAR as well as the Newstalk format on the AM band; Integrated Media Sales or "IMS" a national advertising sales company; Sound Source Networks, a leading radio content service provider offering a comprehensive range of targeted programming; some interactive assets and two conventional television stations located in northern British Columbia. Stations Acquired from Standard Radio: In Québec CHOM FM (97.7 FM) -Montréal In Ontario EZ ROCK (97.3 FM) -Toronto In Manitoba Hot 103 (103.1 FM) -Winnipeg In Alberta CJAY 92 (92.1 FM) -Calgary In British Columbia Z95.3 FM (95.3 FM) -Vancouver BC South region: SILK FM (101.5 FM) -Kelowna BC Peace region: CJDC (890 AM) -Peace Region BC North region: CJFW FM (103.1 FM) -Terrace TV Stations: CFTK-TV -Terrace
National Bank Financial Inc. and Stikeman Elliott LLP acted as financial and legal advisors respectively to Astral Media. National Bank Financial Inc. and RBC Capital Markets Inc. are acting as co-lead arrangers and joint bookrunners with respect to the bank financing. Astral Media is a leading Canadian media company, active in specialty, pay and pay-per-view television, radio, outdoor advertising and the Internet. Astral Media's solid and dynamic presence in the country's major markets rests on its commitment to offer a unique combination of high-quality, targeted media for all its audiences. EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is provided as a supplementary earnings measure to assist readers in determining the ability of the Company to generate cash from operations and to cover financial charges. It is also widely used for business valuation purposes. This measure does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by Canadian generally accepted accounting principles and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. -30 - 2100, rue Sainte-Catherine Ouest, Bureau 1000, Montréal (Québec) H3H 2T3 Tél. : (514) 939-5000 Fax : (514) 939-1515 www.astralmedia.com Sources: Alain Bergeron Claude Gagnon |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 28 April 2007 ) |
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