Courtside Acquisition Corp. Completes Acquisition of American Community Newspapers
July 02 2007 - 12:46PM
PR Newswire (US)
~ Company Changes Name to American Community Newspapers Inc. ~ NEW
YORK, July 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Courtside Acquisition Corp.
(Amex: CRB; CRB.U; CRB.WS) ("Courtside"), a public company formed
to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset purchase or other
similar business combination with an operating business, announced
the completion of its asset purchase agreement of American
Community Newspapers LLC following shareholder approval at the
Special Meeting of Stockholders held on June 28, 2007. The Company
is changing its name to American Community Newspapers Inc. ("ACN").
ACN will continue to trade initially under the ticker symbol "CRB."
"Our new status as a public company provides us with access to the
capital markets and additional resources to continue to execute on
our growth plan," stated Gene Carr, Chairman and CEO of ACN. "ACN
is building a successful media franchise that underscores the value
and growth potential that newspapers offer as the premier
advertising platform in local communities. Operating in four
affluent markets with 100 publications, our mission is to serve our
local market constituents with the news coverage they desire while
providing our advertising customers with compelling demographics
through our controlled free distribution model." Mr. Carr
continued, "Moving forward as a public company, we will continue to
execute a multi-faceted growth strategy, which includes the
strengthening of our leading positions as a provider of local
content, the development of new print and online products,
continued monetization of Web site traffic, further leveraging of
our platform, strategic add-on acquisitions in existing markets,
and new cluster acquisitions such as our recent entry into the
Columbus, Ohio market. The successful acquisition of the Columbus
cluster in May added 22 weekly newspapers and 4 niche publications
with total circulation over approximately 412,000 to ACN's
portfolio. We look forward to building on our track record of
growth, both organically and through acquisition, in the interests
of our customers, employees, and shareholders." Richard Goldstein
and Bruce Greenwald, former Chairman and President, respectively,
of Courtside, commented, "As members of ACN's Board, we look
forward to working with Gene and his world-class team to advance
ACN's leading role in the local community newspaper market. With an
impressive portfolio of publications, strong leadership, clear
strategic direction, and a successful track record of organic
growth and acquisitions, ACN's future looks bright and we are
excited to contribute to the Company's development." About American
Community Newspapers, Inc. ("ACN") ACN is a community newspaper
publisher in the United States, operating within four major U.S.
markets: Minneapolis -- St. Paul, Dallas, Northern Virginia
(suburban Washington, D.C.) and Columbus, Ohio. These markets are
some of the most affluent, high growth markets in the United
States, with ACN strategically positioned in the wealthiest
counties within each market. ACN's goal is to be the preeminent
provider of local content and advertising in any market its serves.
In these markets, ACN publishes three daily and 83 weekly
newspapers, each serving a specific community, and 14 niche
publications, with a combined circulation of approximately
1,386,000 households as of April 30, 2007. In addition, ACN's
locally focused websites have average monthly page views and
visitors of approximately 3.4 million and 1.1 million,
respectively, extending the reach and frequency of its products
beyond their geographic print distribution area. Forward-Looking
Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act,
with respect to Courtside's future financial or business
performance, strategies and expectations. Forward-looking
statements are typically identified by words or phrases such as
"trend," "potential," "opportunity," "pipeline," "believe,"
"comfortable," "expect," "anticipate," "current," "intention,"
"estimate," "position," "assume," "outlook," "continue," "remain,"
"maintain," "sustain," " seek," "achieve," and similar expressions,
or future or conditional verbs such as "will," " would," "should,"
"could," "may" and similar expressions. DATASOURCE: Courtside
Acquisition Corp. CONTACT: Gene Carr of American Community
Newspapers Inc., +1-972-628-4081; or Investors, Corey Kinger or
Jonathan Schaffer, or Media, Joe LoBello, all of Brainerd
Communicators, Inc., +1-212-986-6667, for Courtside Acquisition
Corp.
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