NBC5 CHICAGO NAMED NEW BROADCAST SPONSOR OF THE …

[Pages:2]Reporters May Contact: NBC5 Chicago Toni Falvo 312-836-5532 toni.falvo@

Bank of America Joe Goode, 617.434.7314 joseph.l.goode@

NBC5 CHICAGO NAMED NEW BROADCAST SPONSOR OF THE BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON

CHICAGO (May 14, 2008) -- NBC5 Chicago today announced a new multi-year agreement with Bank of America to become the Official Chicago Broadcast Sponsor of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon?. As the Marathon's exclusive broadcast partner for the next three years, NBC5 will provide televised and internet-based coverage of the event, as well as special prerace programming.

"NBC5 is enthusiastic about our partnership with Bank of America. We are looking forward to working with them on what is a new era for the Marathon," said Larry Wert, President, Central and Western Region, NBC Local Media. "Bank of America and NBC5 plan to grow the Marathon's community footprint and develop exciting ways to enhance what has become one of the biggest spectator events in the city."

The 31st annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be televised on NBC5 from 7-10:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 12th and streamed live in Chicago on . In addition to the broadcast and internet coverage of the Marathon, NBC5 is planning pre-marathon programming including training and safety tips, runner profiles and much more. Specific digital channel coverage will be announced at a later date.

"We couldn't be more pleased about moving the Marathon broadcast to NBC5," said David Rudis, Bank of America Illinois President. "NBC5 provides an ideal flagship for both our Marathon coverage and runner education for our 45,000 participants."

The 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Chicago's Grant Park, beginning at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 12. Registration has already closed for this year's race with 45,000 runners. Participants represent all 50 states and more than 120 countries. In advance of the race, a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place on Friday, October 10 and Saturday, October 11.

About NBC5 NBC5 (WMAQ-TV) is the owned and operated NBC station in Chicago. On October 8, 1948, the station, then called WNBQ-TV, transmitted its first telecast from the Merchandise Mart -- the third game of the Indians-Braves World Series in Cleveland, Ohio. The station's current call letters, WMAQ-TV, were established in 1964. During NBC5 Chicago's rich history, the station pioneered a number of television "firsts." On April 15, 1956, NBC5 became the world's first allcolor station. In September of 1986, NBC5 became the first Chicago commercial station to broadcast in stereo. In 1989, NBC5 was the first Chicago station to present closed captioning of all local newscasts and in 2004 was the first television station to launch a streetside studio at

401 N. Michigan Avenue, Studio 5. Currently, NBC5 airs 30 hours of local news per week. NBC5 News has over 30 reporters and anchors covering the Chicago area. NBC5 News covers local news on-air and on-line at .

About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will host its 31st annual running on Sunday, October 12, 2008 as 45,000 participants advance to the start line, embarking on the culmination of 45,000 personal journeys. Along with the massive field of recreational runners, the 26.2-mile course will welcome a full field of world-renowned professional athletes drawn to the flat, fast, urban setting and the potential to break world and national records. The professionals will compete for points in the World Marathon Majors series which will crown its 2007-08 male and female champions with $500,000 each at the close of 2008. Since the inception of its charity program in 2002, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon has generated more than $38 million for a variety of charitable causes including $10.5 million in accordance with the 2007 event alone. For more information, visit .

About Bank of America Bank of America is one of the world's largest financial institutions, serving individual consumers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations with a full range of banking, investing, asset management and other financial and risk-management products and services. The company provides unmatched convenience in the United States, serving more than 59 million consumer and small business relationships with more than 6,100 retail banking offices, nearly 18,500 ATMs and award-winning online banking with nearly 25 million active users. Bank of America is the No. 1 overall Small Business Administration (SBA) lender in the United States and the No. 1 SBA lender to minority-owned small businesses. The company serves clients in more than 150 countries and has relationships with 99 percent of the U.S. Fortune 500 companies and 83 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Bank of America Corporation stock (NYSE: BAC) is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

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