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LODGENET ENTERTAINMENT CORPORATION ANNOUNCES
STOCK REPURCHASE PLAN
Sioux Falls, S.D. – December 4, 2007 – LodgeNet
Entertainment Corporation (NASD: LNET) today announced that its Board of Directors
has authorized a stock repurchase program of up to $15 million, the full amount
currently permitted for such program under its senior credit facility. The
repurchase program will be funded using the Company's available cash. As
of September 30, 2007, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $32.1 million.
“Today’s announcement reflects the Board of
Directors’ belief in the long-term shareholder value we are creating
as we continue to execute on our strategic business plan,” said LodgeNet
President and CEO Scott C. Petersen. “Given the substantial level
of cash we presently hold, the growing level of free cash flow we anticipate
generating in 2008 and beyond, and the current price of our common stock, the
Board concluded that it was the correct time to implement this program.”
Pursuant to the repurchase program the Company intends to purchase shares
of its common stock from time to time on the open market. The purchases will
be funded from available cash and cash equivalents, and the timing and amount
of any shares repurchased will be determined by LodgeNet based on its evaluation
of financial and market conditions, legal requirements and other factors. The
repurchase program may be suspended or discontinued at any time.
About LodgeNet
LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation is the leading provider of media and connectivity
services designed to meet the unique needs of hospitality, healthcare and other
visitor and guest-based businesses. LodgeNet serves more than 1.9 million
hotel rooms representing 9,300 hotel properties worldwide in addition to healthcare
facilities throughout the United States. LodgeNet's services include on demand
movies, games, television programming, music and information, along with subscription
sports programming and high-speed Internet access. LodgeNet Entertainment
Corporation owns and operates businesses under the industry leading brands: LodgeNet,
LodgeNetRX, On Command and StayOnline. LodgeNet is listed on NASDAQ and trades
under the symbol LNET. For more information, please visit www.lodgenet.com.
Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statement
Certain statements in this press release constitute “forward-looking
statements”. When used in this press release, the words “intends,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “believes,” “goal,” “no
assurance” and similar expressions, and statements which are made in
the future tense or refer to future events or developments, including, without
limitation, those related to estimated revenue, are intended to identify such
forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements
are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause the
actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from
any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such
forward-looking statements. In addition to the risks and uncertainties discussed
herein, such factors include, among others, the following: the effects of economic
conditions, including in particular the economic condition of the lodging industry,
which can be particularly affected by international crisis, acts or threats
of terrorism and public health issues; competition from providers of similar
services and from alternative systems for accessing in-room entertainment;
competition from HSIA providers; changes in demand for our products and services;
programming availability, timeliness, quality, and costs; technological developments
by competitors; developmental costs, difficulties, and delays; relationships
with customers and property owners; the availability of capital to finance
growth, the impact of government regulations; potential effects of litigation;
risks of expansion into new markets; risks related to the security of our data
systems; and other factors detailed, from time to time, in our filings with
the Securities and Exchange Commission. With respect to any acquisition, we
are subject to risks that integration costs will exceed expectations, that
synergies we anticipate will not be realized, or will take longer than anticipated
to realize, that our management and management systems will encounter difficulties
in dealing with a bigger, more diversified enterprise, and that the financial
results we expect from the acquisition will not be realized. For any
of the foregoing reasons, our free cash flow may not meet our expectations. These
forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release.
We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any
updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to
reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in
events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
LodgeNet is a registered trademark of LodgeNet Entertainment Corporation.
All rights reserved. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property
of others.
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