• by January 16, 2001

In a move that is expected to create the undisputed leader in the space of internet enabled advertising media exchanges, the industry's top two companies are joining forces: Mediapassage, the leading provider of e-commerce solutions for the planning, placement, and payment of ad media transactions, and OneMediaPlace, the leading single source destination for implementing buys for all media types, initiated by a web-based Request For Proposal system, have announced a merger of their two companies. The announcement was made jointly by Gilbert Scherer, Chairman and CEO of Mediapassage and Jerry Machovina, President and CEO of OneMediaPlace.

"Major buyers and sellers of advertising will appreciate the clarity this transaction provides by offering a superior solution in a very murky, crowded marketplace," said Mr. Scherer. "By combining OneMediaPlace's media exchange and web-based RFP technology with Mediapassage's proven transaction platform, we become far-and-away the industry leader."

According to Mr. Scherer, the merger with OneMediaPlace will add new functionality as well as expand planning and purchasing capabilities to all types of media including, print, radio, television, cable, and Internet media.

Mr. Machovina added, "The merger will provide an opportunity for us to leverage Mediapassage's extensive print and broadcast relationships. By combining the OneMediaPlace front-end solution with the Mediapassage back-end systems, the new company will provide customers with a complete product. We are excited to offer all customers access to both companies' technology."

This is the second recent merger for Mediapassage, which last September united with broadcastspots.com to become the first end-to-end provider for both print and broadcast media. The new entity is forecasting over $1.2 billion in U.S. media transactions in the coming year.

Established in 1997, Mediapassage created the first end-to-end solution for the planning, placement, tracking and payment of print advertising. The company has processed $850+ million in over 300,000 newspaper and magazine transactions for some of the country's largest advertising agencies and clients.

The merger with broadcastspots.com enabled Mediapassage to extend the application of its e-commerce platform to broadcast media. It also added an affiliate base of over 3,700 radio stations, syndicators, and networks; in excess of $35 million in radio inventory available for real-time purchasing; and the ability to instantly distribute avail requests to every radio and TV station in the country.

OneMediaPlace currently has over 3,500 registered sellers and over 14,000 registered buyers. In June of 2000, the company introduced the web-based RFP, which allows buyers and sellers of all media types to negotiate in real time within an integrated desktop environment. Another feature (Media Stores) leverages Internet scalability by creating a marketplace where sellers can showcase special i