Exhibit
4.1
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=============================================================================
Meredith
Corporation
$75,000,000 6.51%
Senior Notes, Series A, Due March 1, 2005
$50,000,000 6.57%
Senior Notes, Series B, Due September 1, 2005
$75,000,000 6.65%
Senior Notes, Series C, Due March 1, 2006
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Note Purchase
Agreement
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Dated as of March 1,
1999
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<PAGE>
Table
of Contents
(Not a
part of the Agreement)
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SECTION
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HEADING
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PAGE
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SECTION 1.
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AUTHORIZATION OF NOTES
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5
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SECTION 2.
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SALE AND PURCHASE OF NOTES
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5
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SECTION 3.
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CLOSING
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6
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SECTION 4.
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CONDITIONS TO CLOSING
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6
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Section 4.1.
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Representations and Warranties
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6
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Section 4.2.
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Performance; No Default
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6
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Section 4.3.
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Compliance Certificates
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7
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Section 4.4.
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Opinions of Counsel
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7
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Section 4.5.
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Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, Etc
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7
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Section 4.6.
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[Intentionally Omitted.]
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7
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Section 4.7.
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Sale of Other Notes
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7
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Section 4.8.
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Payment of Special Counsel Fees
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7
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Section 4.9.
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Private Placement Number
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8
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Section 4.10.
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Changes in Corporate Structure
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8
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Section 4.11.
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Funding Instructions
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8
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Section 4.12.
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Proceedings and Documents
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8
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SECTION 5.
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
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8
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Section 5.1.
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Organization; Power and Authority
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8
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Section 5.2.
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Authorization, Etc
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8
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Section 5.3.
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Disclosure
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9
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Section 5.4.
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Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries
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9
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Section 5.5.
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Financial Statements
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10
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Section 5.6.
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Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc
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10
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Section 5.7.
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Governmental Authorizations, Etc
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10
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Section 5.8.
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Litigation
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10
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Section 5.9.
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Taxes
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10
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Section 5.10.
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Title to Property
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11
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Section 5.11.
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Licenses, Permits, Etc
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11
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Section 5.12.
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Compliance with ERISA
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11
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Section 5.13.
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Private Offering by the Company
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12
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Section 5.14.
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Use of Proceeds;
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12
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Section 5.15.
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Existing Debt; Future Liens
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13
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Section 5.16.
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Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc
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13
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Section 5.17.
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Status under Certain Statutes
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13
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Section 5.18.
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Notes Rank Pari Passu
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13
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Section 5.19.
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Environmental Matters
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13
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Section 5.20.
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Computer 2000 Compliant
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14
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SECTION 6.
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REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURCHASER
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14
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Section 6.1.
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Purchase for Investment
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14
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Section 6.2.
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Source of Funds
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14
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SECTION 7.
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INFORMATION AS TO THE COMPANY
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15
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Section 7.1.
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Financial and Business Information
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15
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Section 7.2.
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Officer's Certificate
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18
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Section 7.3.
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Inspection
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18
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<PAGE>
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SECTION
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HEADING
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PAGE
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SECTION 8.
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PREPAYMENT OF THE NOTES
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19
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Section 8.1.
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Required Prepayments
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19
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Section 8.2.
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Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount
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19
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Section 8.3.
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Change in Control
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19
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Section 8.4.
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Allocation of Partial Prepayments
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22
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Section 8.5.
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Maturity; Surrender, Etc
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22
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Section 8.6.
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Purchase of Notes
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22
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Section 8.7.
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Make-Whole Amount
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22
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SECTION 9.
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AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
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23
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Section 9.1.
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Compliance with Law
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23
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Section 9.2.
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Insurance
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24
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Section 9.3.
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Maintenance of Properties
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24
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Section 9.4.
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Payment of Taxes and Claims
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24
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Section 9.5.
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Corporate Existence, Etc
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24
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Section 9.6.
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Notes to Rank Pari Passu
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24
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Section 9.7.
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Year 2000 Compliant
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25
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SECTION 10.
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NEGATIVE COVENANTS
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25
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Section 10.1.
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Transactions with Affiliates
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25
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Section 10.2.
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Consolidated Net Worth
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26
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Section 10.3.
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Interest Coverage Ratio
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26
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Section 10.4.
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Limitations on Debt
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26
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Section 10.5.
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Liens
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26
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Section 10.6.
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Mergers, Consolidations and Sales of Assets
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28
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Section 10.7.
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Limitation on Sale-and-Leaseback Transactions
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30
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Section 10.8.
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Termination of Pension Plans
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30
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Section 10.9.
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Nature of Business
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30
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SECTION 11.
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EVENTS OF DEFAULT
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30
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SECTION 12.
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REMEDIES ON DEFAULT, ETC
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32
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Section 12.1.
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Acceleration
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32
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Section 12.2.
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Other Remedies
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33
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Section 12.3.
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Rescission
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33
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Section 12.4.
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No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, Etc
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33
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SECTION 13.
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REGISTRATION; EXCHANGE; SUBSTITUTION OF NOTES
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34
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Section 13.1.
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Registration of Notes
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34
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Section 13.2.
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Transfer and Exchange of Notes
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34
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Section 13.3.
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Replacement of Notes
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34
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SECTION 14.
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PAYMENTS ON NOTES
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35
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Section 14.1.
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Place of Payment
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35
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Section 14.2.
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Home Office Payment
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35
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SECTION 15.
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EXPENSES, ETC
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35
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Section 15.1.
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Transaction Expenses
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35
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Section 15.2.
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Survival
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36
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SECTION 16.
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SURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES;
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36
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- 3
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<PAGE>
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SECTION
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HEADING
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PAGE
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SECTION 17.
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AMENDMENT AND WAIVER
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36
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Section 17.1.
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Requirements
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36
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Section 17.2.
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Solicitation of Holders of Notes
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36
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Section 17.3.
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Binding Effect, Etc
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37
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Section 17.4.
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Notes Held by Company, Etc
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37
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SECTION 18.
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NOTICES
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37
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SECTION 19.
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REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
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38
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SECTION 20.
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CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
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38
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SECTION 21.
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SUBSTITUTION OF PURCHASER
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39
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SECTION 22.
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MISCELLANEOUS
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39
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Section 22.1.
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Successors and Assigns
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39
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Section 22.2.
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Payments Due on Non-Business Days
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39
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Section 22.3.
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Severability
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40
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Section 22.4.
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Construction
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40
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Section 22.5.
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Counterparts
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40
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Section 22.6.
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Governing Law
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40
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Section 22.7.
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Submission to Jurisdiction
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40
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Signature
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41
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Schedule A
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Information Relating to Purchasers
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Schedule B *
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Defined Terms
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Schedule 5.4
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Subsidiaries of the Company and Ownership of Subsidiary
Stock
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Schedule 5.5
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Financial Statements
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Schedule 5.14
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Use of Proceeds
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Schedule 5.15
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Existing Debt
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Exhibit 1-A *
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Form of 6.51% Senior Note, Series A, due March 1, 2005
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Exhibit 1-B *
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Form of 6.57% Senior Note, Series B, due September 1, 2005
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Exhibit 1-C *
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Form of 6.65% Senior Note, Series C, due March 1, 2006
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Exhibit 4.4(a)
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Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the Company
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Exhibit 4.4(b)
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Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the Purchasers
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Note:
Material schedules and exhibits (those marked *) are included in
this filing.
- 4
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<PAGE>
Meredith
Corporation
1716
Locust Street
Des
Moines, Iowa 50309
$75,000,000 6.51%
Senior Notes, Series A, Due March 1, 2005
$50,000,000 6.57%
Senior Notes, Series B, Due September 1, 2005
$75,000,000 6.65%
Senior Notes, Series C, Due March 1, 2006
Dated
as of March 1, 1999
To the
Purchaser listed in the attached
Schedule A who is a
signatory hereto:
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Meredith Corporation,
an Iowa corporation (the "Company"), agrees with you
as
follows:
Section
1. Authorization of Notes.
The
Company will authorize the issue and sale of
(a)
$75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.51%
Senior
Notes,
Series A, due March 1, 2005 (the "Series A Notes");
(b)
$50,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.57%
Senior
Notes,
Series B, due September 1, 2005 (the "Series B Notes");
and
(c)
$75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.65%
Senior
Notes,
Series C, due March 1, 2006 (the "Series C Notes").
The
terms "Series A Notes", "Series B Notes" and "Series C Notes" as
used in
this
Agreement shall include each Series A Note, Series B Note and
Series C
Note,
respectively, delivered pursuant to this Agreement and the
Other
Agreements (as
hereinafter defined) and any such notes issued in
substitution
therefor pursuant to
Section 13 of this Agreement or the Other Agreements.
The
term
"Notes" as used in this Agreement shall include the Series A Notes,
the
Series
B Notes and the Series C Notes. The Series A Notes, Series B Notes
and
Series
C Notes shall be substantially in the forms set forth in Exhibits
1A, 1B
and 1C,
respectively, with such changes therefrom, if any, as may be
approved
by you,
the Other Purchasers (as hereinafter defined) and the Company.
Certain
capitalized terms used
in this Agreement are defined in Schedule B; references
to a
"Schedule" or an "Exhibit" are, unless otherwise specified, to a
Schedule
or an
Exhibit attached to this Agreement.
Section
2. Sale and Purchase of Notes.
Subject
to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Company
will
issue
and sell to you and you will purchase from the Company, at the
Closing
provided for in
Section 3, Notes in the principal amount and of the
Series
specified opposite
your name in Schedule A at the purchase price of 100% of
the
principal amount and
of the Series thereof. Contemporaneously with entering
- 5
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<PAGE>
into
this Agreement, the Company is entering into separate Note
Purchase
Agreements (the "Other
Agreements") identical with this Agreement with each of
the
other purchasers named in Schedule A (the "Other Purchasers"),
providing
for the
sale at such Closing to each of the Other Purchasers of Notes in
the
principal amount and
of the Series specified opposite its name in Schedule A.
Your
obligation hereunder, and the obligations of the Other Purchasers
under
the
Other Agreements, are several and not joint obligations, and you
shall have
no
obligation under any Other Agreement and no liability to any Person
for the
performance or
nonperformance by any Other Purchaser thereunder.
Section
3. Closing.
The
sale and purchase of the Notes to be purchased by you and the
Other
Purchasers shall occur
at the offices of Chapman and Cutler, 111 West Monroe
Street,
Chicago, Illinois, at 10:00 a.m. Chicago time, at a closing
(the
"Closing") on March 1,
1999. At the Closing the Company will deliver to you
the
Notes to be purchased by you in the form of a single Note (or such
greater
number
of Notes in denominations of at least $500,000 as you may request)
dated
the
date of the Closing and registered in your name (or in the name of
your
nominee), against
delivery by you to the Company or its order of
immediately
available funds in the
amount of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer
of
immediately available funds for the account of the Company as
indicated in
the
written funding instructions delivered pursuant to Section 4.11. If
at the
Closing
the Company shall fail to tender such Notes to you as provided
above in
this
Section 3, or any of the conditions specified in Section 4 shall
not have
been
fulfilled to your satisfaction, you shall, at your election, be
relieved
of all
further obligations under this Agreement, without thereby waiving
any
rights
you may have by reason of such failure or such
nonfulfillment.
Section
4. Conditions to Closing.
Your
obligation to purchase and pay for the Notes to be sold to you at
the
Closing
is subject to the fulfillment to your satisfaction, prior to or at
the
Closing, of the
following conditions:
Section
4.1. Representations and Warranties. The representations
and
warranties of the
Company in this Agreement shall be correct when made and
at
the
time of the Closing.
Section
4.2. Performance; No Default. The Company shall have
performed
and
complied with all agreements and conditions contained in this
Agreement
required to be
performed or complied with by it prior to or at the Closing,
and
after
giving effect to the issue and sale of the Notes (and the
application of
the
proceeds thereof as contemplated by Schedule 5.14), no Default or
Event of
Default
shall have occurred and be continuing. Neither the Company nor
any
Subsidiary shall have
entered into any transaction since the date of the
Memorandum that would
have been prohibited by Sections 9 or 10 hereof had such
Sections applied since
such date.
- 6
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<PAGE>
Section
4.3. Compliance Certificates.
(a)
Officer's Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to you
an
Officer's Certificate,
dated the date of the Closing, certifying that the
conditions specified
in Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.9 have been fulfilled.
(b)
Secretary's Certificate. The Company shall have delivered to you
a
certificate of its
Secretary, dated the date of the Closing, certifying as
to
the
resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings
relating to
the
authorization, execution and delivery of the Notes, this Agreement
and the
Other
Agreements.
Section
4.4. Opinions of Counsel. You shall have received opinions
in
form
and substance satisfactory to you, dated the date of the Closing
(a) from
Winston
& Strawn, counsel for the Company, covering the matters set
forth in
Exhibit
4.4(a) and covering such other matters incident to the
transactions
contemplated hereby as
you or your counsel may reasonably request (and the
Company
hereby instructs its counsel to deliver such opinion to you) and
(b)
from
Chapman and Cutler, your special counsel in connection with
such
transactions,
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit 4.4(b)
and
covering such other
matters incident to such transactions as you may
reasonably
request.
Section
4.5. Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, Etc. On the date
of
the
Closing your purchase of Notes shall (a) be permitted by the laws
and
regulations of each
jurisdiction to which you are subject, without recourse
to
provisions (such as
Section 1405(a)(8) of the New York Insurance Law)
permitting limited
investments by insurance companies without restriction as
to
the
character of the particular investment, (b) not violate any
applicable law
or
regulation (including, without limitation, Regulation T, U or X of
the Board
of
Governors of the Federal Reserve System) and (c) not subject you to
any tax,
penalty
or liability under or pursuant to any applicable law or
regulation,
which
law or regulation was not in effect on the date hereof. If
requested by
you,
you shall have received an Officer's Certificate certifying as to
such
matters
of fact as you may reasonably specify to enable you to
determine
whether
such purchase is so permitted.
Section
4.6. [Intentionally Omitted.].
Section
4.7. Sale of Other Notes. Contemporaneously with the
Closing,
the
Company shall sell to the Other Purchasers, and the Other
Purchasers shall
purchase, the Notes to
be purchased by them at the Closing as specified in
Schedule A.
Section
4.8. Payment of Special Counsel Fees. Without limiting
the
provisions of Section
15.1, the Company shall have paid on or before the
Closing
the fees, charges and disbursements of your special counsel
referred to
in
Section 4.4 to the extent reflected in a statement of such counsel
rendered
to the
Company at least one Business Day prior to the Closing.
- 7
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<PAGE>
Section
4.9. Private Placement Number. A Private Placement Number
issued
by
Standard & Poor's CUSIP Service Bureau (in cooperation with the
Securities
Valuation Office of
the National Association of Insurance Commissioners)
shall
have
been obtained for the Notes.
Section
4.10. Changes in Corporate Structure. The Company shall not
have
changed
its jurisdiction of incorporation or been a party to any merger
or
consolidation and
shall not have succeeded to all or any substantial part
of
the
liabilities of any other entity, at any time following the date of
the most
recent
financial statements referred to in Schedule 5.5.
Section
4.11. Funding Instructions. At least two Business Days prior
to
the
date of the Closing, you shall have received written instructions
executed
by a
Responsible Officer of the Company directing the manner of the
payment of
funds
and setting forth (a) the name and address of the transferee bank,
(b)
such
transferee bank's ABA number, (c) the account name and number into
which
the
purchase price for the Notes is to be deposited, and (d) the name
and
telephone number of
the account representative responsible for verifying
receipt
of such funds.
Section
4.12. Proceedings and Documents. All corporate and other
proceedings in
connection with the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement
and all
documents and instruments incident to such transactions shall
be
satisfactory to you
and your special counsel, and you and your special
counsel
shall
have received all such counterpart originals or certified or other
copies
of such
documents as you or they may reasonably request.
Section
5. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The
Company represents and warrants to you that:
Section
5.1. Organization; Power and Authority. The Company is a
corporation duly
organized, validly existing and in good standing under
the
laws of
its jurisdiction of incorporation, and is duly qualified as a
foreign
corporation and is in
good standing in each jurisdiction in which such
qualification is
required by law, other than those jurisdictions as to
which
the
failure to be so qualified or in good standing could not,
individually or
in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
The
Company has the corporate power and authority to own or hold under
lease
the
properties it purports to own or hold under lease, to transact the
business
it
transacts and proposes to transact, to execute and deliver this
Agreement
and the
Other Agreements and the Notes and to perform the provisions hereof
and
thereof.
Section
5.2. Authorization, Etc. This Agreement, the Other
Agreements
and the
Notes have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action
on
the
part of the Company, and this Agreement constitutes, and upon
execution and
delivery thereof each
Note will constitute, a legal, valid and binding
obligation of the
Company enforceable against the Company in accordance
with
its
terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by (a)
applicable
bankruptcy,
insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar
laws
affecting the
enforcement of creditors' rights generally and (b)
general
principles of equity
(regardless of whether such enforceability is considered
in a
proceeding in equity or at law).
- 8
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<PAGE>
Section
5.3. Disclosure. The Company, through its agent, Schroder &
Co.,
Inc.,
has delivered to you and each Other Purchaser a copy of a
Private
Placement Memorandum,
dated November, 1998 (the "Memorandum"), relating to the
transactions
contemplated hereby. The Memorandum fairly describes, in
all
material respects, the
general nature of the business and principal properties
of the
Company and its Subsidiaries. This Agreement, the Memorandum,
the
documents,
certificates or other writings delivered to you by or on behalf
of
the
Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and
the
financial statements
listed in Schedule 5.5, taken as a whole, do not contain
any
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material
fact
necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading in light of the
circumstances under
which they were made. Since June 30, 1998, there has
been
no
change in the financial condition, operations, business, properties
or
prospects of the
Company or any Subsidiary except changes that individually
or
in the
aggregate could not reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse
Effect.
To the best knowledge and belief of senior management of the
Company,
there
is no fact known to the Company that could reasonably be expected
to have
a
Material Adverse Effect that has not been set forth herein or in
the
Memorandum or in the
other documents, certificates and other writings
delivered
to you
by or on behalf of the Company specifically for use in connection
with
the
transactions contemplated hereby.
Section
5.4. Organization and Ownership of Shares of
Subsidiaries;
Affiliates. (a)
Schedule 5.4 contains (except as noted therein) complete
and
correct
lists (i) of the Company's Subsidiaries, showing, as to
each
Subsidiary, the
correct name thereof, the jurisdiction of its organization,
and
the
percentage of shares of each class of its capital stock or similar
equity
interests outstanding
owned by the Company and each other Subsidiary, (ii) of
the
Company's Affiliates, other than Subsidiaries, and (iii) of the
Company's
directors and senior
officers.
(b) All
of the outstanding shares of capital stock or similar
equity
interests of each
Subsidiary shown in Schedule 5.4 as being owned by the
Company
and its Subsidiaries have been validly issued, are fully paid
and
nonassessable and are
owned by the Company or another Subsidiary free and
clear
of any
Lien (except as otherwise disclosed in Schedule 5.4).
(c)
Each Subsidiary identified in Schedule 5.4 is a corporation or
other
legal
entity duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under
the
laws of
its jurisdiction of organization, and is duly qualified as a
foreign
corporation or other
legal entity and is in good standing in each
jurisdiction
in
which such qualification is required by law, other than those
jurisdictions
as to
which the failure to be so qualified or in good standing could
not,
individually or in the
aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material
Adverse
Effect. Each such Subsidiary has the corporate or other power
and
authority to own or
hold under lease the properties it purports to own or
hold
under
lease and to transact the business it transacts and proposes to
transact.
(d) No
Subsidiary is a party to, or otherwise subject to, any
legal
restriction or any
agreement (other than this Agreement, the agreements
listed
on
Schedule 5.4 and customary limitations imposed by corporate law
statutes)
restricting the
ability of such Subsidiary to pay dividends out of profits
or
make
any other similar distributions of profits to the Company or any of
its
Subsidiaries that owns
outstanding shares of capital stock or similar equity
interests of such
Subsidiary.
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Section
5.5. Financial Statements. The Company has delivered to you
and
each
Other Purchaser copies of the financial statements of the Company
and its
Subsidiaries listed on
Schedule 5.5. All of said financial statements
(including in each
case the related schedules and notes) fairly present in
all
material respects the
consolidated financial position of the Company and its
Subsidiaries as of the
respective dates specified in such financial statements
and the
consolidated results of their operations and cash flows for
the
respective periods so
specified and have been prepared in accordance with GAAP
consistently applied
throughout the periods involved except as set forth in
the
notes
thereto (subject, in the case of any interim financial statements,
to
normal
year-end adjustments).
Section
5.6. Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc. The
execution, delivery
and performance by the Company of this Agreement and the
Notes
will not (a) contravene, result in any breach of, or constitute a
default
under,
or result in the creation of any Lien in respect of any property of
the
Company
or any Subsidiary under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust,
loan,
purchase or credit
agreement, lease, corporate charter or by-laws, or any
other
agreement or
instrument to which the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or
by
which
the Company or any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties
may
be
bound or affected, (b) conflict with or result in a breach of any
of the
terms,
conditions or provisions of any order, judgment, decree, or ruling
of
any
court, arbitrator or Governmental Authority applicable to the
Company or
any
Subsidiary or (c) violate any provision of any statute or other
rule or
regulation of any
Governmental Authority applicable to the Company or any
Subsidiary.
Section
5.7. Governmental Authorizations, Etc. (a) No consent,
approval
or
authorization of, or registration, filing or declaration with,
any
Governmental Authority
is required in connection with the execution, delivery
or
performance by the Company of this Agreement or the
Notes.
(b) The
Company has applied for all regulatory approvals necessary
from
any
Governmental Authority in connection with the WGNX Acquisition and
no
default
or breach exists under, and no waiver of any default or breach has
been
granted
in respect of, the terms of the WGNX Acquisition
Documents.
Section
5.8. Litigation; Observance of Agreements, Statutes and
Orders.
(a)
There are no actions, suits or proceedings pending or, to the
knowledge of
the
Company, threatened against or affecting the Company or any
Subsidiary or
any
property of the Company or any Subsidiary in any court or before
any
arbitrator of any kind
or before or by any Governmental Authority that,
individually or in the
aggregate, could reasonably be expected to have a
Material Adverse
Effect.
(b)
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default under any
term
of any
agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it is
bound,
or any
order, judgment, decree or ruling of any court, arbitrator
or
Governmental Authority
or is in violation of any applicable law, ordinance,
rule or
regulation (including without limitation Environmental Laws) of
any
Governmental
Authority, which default or violation, individually or in
the
aggregate, could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect.
Section
5.9. Taxes. The Company and its Subsidiaries have filed all
tax
returns
that are required to have been filed in any jurisdiction, and have
paid
all
taxes shown to be due and payable on such returns and all other
taxes and
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assessments levied
upon them or their properties, assets, income or
franchises,
to the
extent such taxes and assessments have become due and payable and
before
they
have become delinquent, except for any taxes and assessments (a)
the
amount
of which is not individually or in the aggregate Material or (b)
the
amount,
applicability or validity of which is currently being contested in
good
faith
by appropriate proceedings and with respect to which the Company or
a
Subsidiary, as the
case may be, has established adequate reserves in
accordance
with
GAAP. The Company knows of no basis for any other tax or assessment
that
could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The
charges,
accruals and reserves
on the books of the Company and its Subsidiaries in
respect
of Federal, state or other taxes for all fiscal periods are
adequate.
The
Federal income tax liabilities of the Company and its Subsidiaries
have
been
determined by the Internal Revenue Service and paid for all fiscal
years
up to
and including the fiscal year ended June 30, 1995.
Section
5.10. Title to Property; Leases. The Company and its
Subsidiaries have good
and sufficient title to their respective properties that
individually or in the
aggregate are Material, including all such properties
reflected in the most
recent audited balance sheet referred to in Section 5.5
or
purported to have been acquired by the Company or any Subsidiary
after said
date
(except as sold or otherwise disposed of in the ordinary course
of
business), in each
case free and clear of Liens prohibited by this
Agreement.
All
leases that individually or in the aggregate are Material are valid
and
subsisting and are in
full force and effect in all material respects.
Section
5.11. Licenses, Permits, Etc. (a) The Company and its
Subsidiaries own or
possess all licenses, permits, franchises,
authorizations,
patents, copyrights,
service marks, trademarks and trade names, or rights
thereto, that
individually or in the aggregate are Material, without
known
conflict with the
rights of others;
(b) To
the best knowledge of the Company, no product of the
Company
infringes in any
Material respect any license, permit, franchise,
authorization, patent,
copyright, service mark, trademark, trade name or other
right
owned by any other Person; and
(c) To
the best knowledge of the Company, there is no Material
violation
by any
Person of any right of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries
with
respect
to any patent, copyright, service mark, trademark, trade name or
other
right
owned or used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries.
Section
5.12. Compliance with ERISA. (a) The Company and each
ERISA
Affiliate have
operated and administered each Plan in compliance with
all
applicable laws except
for such instances of noncompliance as have not resulted
in and
could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect.
Neither
the Company nor any ERISA Affiliate has incurred any liability
pursuant
to
Title I or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax provisions of
the Code
relating to employee
benefit plans (as defined in Section 3 of ERISA), and no
event,
transaction or condition has occurred or exists that could
reasonably be
expected to result in
the incurrence of any such liability by the Company or
any
ERISA Affiliate, or in the imposition of any Lien on any of the
rights,
properties or assets
of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate, in either case
pursuant to Title I or
IV of ERISA or to such penalty or excise tax provisions
or to
Section 401(a)(29) or 412 of the Code, other than such liabilities
or
Liens
as would not be individually or in the aggregate
Material.
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(b) The
present value of the aggregate benefit liabilities under each
of
the
Plans (other than Multiemployer Plans), determined as of the end of
such
Plan's
most recently ended plan year on the basis of the actuarial
assumptions
specified for funding
purposes in such Plan's most recent actuarial valuation
report,
did not exceed the aggregate current value of the assets of such
Plan
allocable to such
benefit liabilities. The term "benefit liabilities" has
the
meaning
specified in Section 4001 of ERISA and the terms "current value"
and
"present value" have
the meaning specified in section 3 of ERISA.
(c) The
Company and its ERISA Affiliates have not incurred
withdrawal
liabilities (and are
not subject to contingent withdrawal liabilities) under
Section
4201 or 4204 of ERISA in respect of Multiemployer Plans
that
individually or in the
aggregate are Material.
(d) The
expected post-retirement benefit obligation (determined as of
the
last
day of the Company's most recently ended fiscal year in accordance
with
Financial Accounting
Standards Board Statement No. 106, without regard to
liabilities
attributable to continuation coverage mandated by Section 4980B
of
the
Code) of the Company and its Subsidiaries is not
Material.
(e) The
execution and delivery of this Agreement and the issuance
and
sale of
the Notes hereunder will not involve any transaction that is
subject to
the
prohibitions of Section 406 of ERISA or in connection with which a
tax
could
be imposed pursuant to Section 4975(c)(1)(A)(D) of the Code.
The
representation by the
Company in the first sentence of this Section 5.12(e) is
made in
reliance upon and subject to the accuracy of your representation
in
Section
6.2 as to the sources of the funds used to pay the purchase price
of
the
Notes to be purchased by you.
(f)
Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary maintains any Non-U.S.
Pension
Plan.
Section
5.13. Private Offering by the Company. Neither the Company
nor
anyone
acting on its behalf has offered the Notes or any similar
securities for
sale
to, or solicited any offer to buy any of the same from, or
otherwise
approached or
negotiated in respect thereof with, any Person other than
you,
the
Other Purchasers and not more than three other Institutional
Investors,
each of
which has been offered the Notes at a private sale for
investment.
Neither
the Company nor anyone acting on its behalf has taken, or will
take,
any
action that would subject the issuance or sale of the Notes to
the
registration
requirements of Section 5 of the Securities Act.
Section
5.14. Use of Proceeds; Margin Regulations. The Company
will
apply
the proceeds of the sale of the Notes as set forth in Schedule
5.14. No
part of
the proceeds from the sale of the Notes hereunder will be
used,
directly or
indirectly, for the purpose of buying or carrying any margin
stock
within
the meaning of Regulation U of the Board of Governors of the
Federal
Reserve
System (12 CFR 221), or for the purpose of buying or carrying
or
trading
in any securities under such circumstances as to involve the
Company in
a
violation of Regulation X of said Board (12 CFR 224) or to involve
any broker
or
dealer in a violation of Regulation T of said Board (12 CFR 220).
Margin
stock
does not constitute any portion of the value of the consolidated
assets
of the
Company and its Subsidiaries and the Company does not have any
present
intention that margin
stock will constitute more than 1.0% of the value of
such
assets.
As used in this Section, the terms "margin stock" and "purpose
of
buying
or carrying" shall have the meanings assigned to them in said
Regulation
U.
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Section
5.15. Existing Debt; Future Liens. (a) Schedule 5.15 sets
forth
a
complete and correct list of all outstanding Debt of the Company
and its
Subsidiaries as of the
date of the Closing. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary is in
default and no waiver of default is currently in effect,
in
the
payment of any principal or interest on any Debt of the Company or
such
Subsidiary and no
event or condition exists with respect to any Debt of
the
Company
or any Subsidiary that would permit (or that with notice or the
lapse
of
time, or both, would permit) one or more Persons to cause such Debt
to
become
due and payable before its stated maturity or before its
regularly
scheduled dates of
payment.
(b)
Except as disclosed in Schedule 5.15, neither the Company nor
any
Subsidiary has agreed
or consented to cause or permit in the future (upon the
happening of a
contingency or otherwise) any of its property, whether now
owned
or
hereafter acquired, to be subject to a Lien not permitted by
Section 10.5.
Section
5.16. Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc. Neither the
sale
of the
Notes by the Company hereunder nor its use of the proceeds thereof
will
violate
the Trading with the Enemy Act, as amended, or any of the
foreign
assets
control regulations of the United States Treasury Department (31
CFR,
Subtitle B, Chapter V,
as amended) or any enabling legislation or executive
order
relating thereto.
Section
5.17. Status under Certain Statutes. Neither the Company nor
any
Subsidiary is subject
to regulation under the Investment Company Act of 1940,
as
amended, the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935, as
amended, the ICC
Termination Act of
1995, as amended, or the Federal Power Act, as amended.
Section
5.18. Notes Rank Pari Passu. The obligations of the
Company
under
this Agreement and the Notes rank at least pari passu in right
of
payment
with all other senior unsecured Debt (actual or contingent) of
the
Company, including,
without limitation, all senior unsecured Debt of the
Company
described in Schedule 5.15 hereto.
Section
5.19. Environmental Matters. Neither the Company nor any
Subsidiary has
knowledge of any claim or has received any notice of any
claim,
and no
proceeding has been instituted raising any claim against the
Company or
any of
its Subsidiaries or any of their respective real properties now
or
formerly owned, leased
or operated by any of them or other assets, alleging any
damage
to the environment or violation of any Environmental Laws, except,
in
each
case, such as could not reasonably be expected to result in a
Material
Adverse
Effect. Except as otherwise disclosed to you in writing:
(a)
neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has knowledge of any
facts
which
would give rise to any claim, public or private, of violation
of
Environmental Laws or
damage to the environment emanating from, occurring on
or
in any
way related to real properties now or formerly owned, leased or
operated
by any
of them or to other assets or their use, except, in each case, such
as
could
not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse
Effect;
(b)
neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has stored
any
Hazardous Materials on
real properties now or formerly owned, leased or
operated by any of
them or has disposed of any Hazardous Materials in a
manner
contrary to any
Environmental Laws in each case in any manner that could
reasonably be expected
to result in a Material Adverse Effect; and
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<PAGE>
(c) all
buildings on all real properties now owned, leased or operated
by
the
Company or any of its Subsidiaries are in compliance with
applicable
Environmental Laws,
except where failure to comply could not reasonably be
expected to result in
a Material Adverse Effect.
Section
5.20. Computer 2000 Compliant. The Company reasonably
believes
that
the internal computer systems of the Company and its Subsidiaries
will be
Year
2000 Compliant in all Material respects on a timely basis and, in
any
event,
on or before September 30, 1999, and that the advent of the year
2000
and its
impact on said internal computer systems could not reasonably
be
expected to result in
a Material Adverse Effect. The term "Year 2000
Compliant" means that
all computer applications and equipment containing
embedded microchips
material to the business and operations of the Company
and
its
Subsidiaries will be able to recognize correctly and perform
properly date-
sensitive functions
for all dates before and after January 1, 2000 or,
alternatively, the
Company will have designed and implemented contingency
plans
so that
any failure of its computer applications and equipment to
recognize
correctly or to
perform properly such functions for such dates will not have
a
Material Adverse
Effect.
Section
6. Representations of the Purchaser.
Section
6.1. Purchase for Investment. You represent that you are
purchasing the Notes
for your own account or for one or more separate
accounts
maintained by you or
for the account of one or more pension or trust funds
and
not
with a view to the distribution thereof; provided that the
disposition of
your or
their property shall at all times be within your or their control.
You
understand that the
Notes have not been registered under the Securities Act
and
may be
resold only if registered pursuant to the provisions of the
Securities
Act or
if an exemption from registration is available, except
under
circumstances where
neither such registration nor such an exemption is
required
by law,
and that the Company is not required to register the
Notes.
Section
6.2. Source of Funds. You represent that at least one of
the
following statements
is an accurate representation as to each source of funds
(a
"Source") to be used by you to pay the purchase price of the Notes
to be
purchased by you
hereunder:
(a) the
Source is an "insurance company general account" within
the
meaning
of Department of Labor Prohibited Transaction Exemption ("PTE")
95-60
(issued
July 12, 1995) and there is no employee benefit plan, treating as
a
single
plan, all plans maintained by the same employer or
employee
organization, with
respect to which the amount of the general account
reserves
and
liabilities for all contracts held by or on behalf of such plan,
exceed ten
percent
(10%) of the total reserves and liabilities of such general
account
(exclusive of separate
account liabilities) plus surplus, as set forth in the
NAIC
Annual Statement filed with your state of domicile; or
(b) the
Source is either (i) an insurance company pooled
separate
account, within the
meaning of PTE 901 (issued January 29, 1990), or (ii) a
bank
collective investment fund, within the meaning of the PTE 9138
(issued
July
12, 1991) and, except as you have disclosed to the Company in
writing
pursuant to this
paragraph (b), no employee benefit plan or group of
plans
maintained by the same
employer or employee organization beneficially owns more
than
10% of all assets allocated to such pooled separate account or
collective
investment fund;
or
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<PAGE>
(c) the
Source constitutes assets of an "investment fund" (within
the
meaning
of Part V of the QPAM Exemption) managed by a "qualified
professional
asset
manager" or "QPAM" (within the meaning of Part V of the QPAM
Exemption),
no
employee benefit plan's assets that are included in such investment
fund,
when
combined with the assets of all other employee benefit plans
established
or
maintained by the same employer or by an affiliate (within the
meaning of
Section
V(c)(1) of the QPAM Exemption) of such employer or by the same
employee
organization and
managed by such QPAM, exceed 20% of the total client
assets
managed
by such QPAM, the conditions of Part l(c) and (g) of the QPAM
Exemption
are
satisfied, neither the QPAM nor a Person controlling or controlled
by the
QPAM
(applying the definition of "control" in Section V(e) of the
QPAM
Exemption) owns a 5%
or more interest in the Company and (i) the identity of
such
QPAM and (ii) the names of all employee benefit plans whose assets
are
included in such
investment fund have been disclosed to the Company in
writing
pursuant to this
paragraph (c); or
(d) the
Source is a governmental plan; or
(e) the
Source is one or more employee benefit plans, or a
separate
account
or trust fund comprised of one or more employee benefit plans, each
of
which
has been identified to the Company in writing pursuant to this
paragraph
(e);
or
(f) the
Source does not include assets of any employee benefit
plan,
other
than a plan exempt from the coverage of ERISA.
If you
or any subsequent transferee of the Notes indicates that you
or
such
transferee are relying on any representation contained in paragraph
(b),
(c) or
(e) above, the Company shall deliver on the date of Closing or on
the
date of
transfer, as applicable, a certificate, which shall state whether
that
(i) it
is a party in interest or a "disqualified person" (as defined in
Section
4975(e)(2) of the
Code), with respect to any plan identified pursuant to
paragraphs (b) or (e)
above, or (ii) with respect to any plan, identified
pursuant to paragraph
(c) above, it or any "affiliate" (as defined in Section
V(c) of
the QPAM Exemption) has at such time, and during the
immediately
preceding one year,
exercised the authority to appoint or terminate said
QPAM
as
manager of any plan identified in writing pursuant to paragraph (c)
above or
to
negotiate the terms of said QPAM's management agreement on behalf
of any
such
identified plan.
As used
in this Section 6.2, the terms "employee benefit plan",
"governmental plan",
"party in interest" and "separate account" shall have
the
respective meanings
assigned to such terms in Section 3 of ERISA.
Section
7. Information as to the Company.
Section
7.1. Financial and Business Information. The Company
shall
deliver
to each holder of Notes that is an Institutional
Investor:
(a)
Quarterly Statements -- within 60 days after the end of
each
quarterly fiscal
period in each fiscal year of the Company (other than the
last
quarterly fiscal
period of each such fiscal year), duplicate copies of:
(i) a
consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its
Subsidiaries
as at
the end of such quarter, and
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(ii)
consolidated statements of earnings and cash flows of
the
Company
and its Subsidiaries for such quarter and (in the case of the
second
and
third quarters) for the portion of the fiscal year ending with
such
quarter, setting forth
in each case in comparative form the figures for the
corresponding periods
in the previous fiscal year of the Company, all in
reasonable detail,
prepared in accordance with GAAP applicable to quarterly
financial statements
generally, and certified by a Senior Financial Officer
as
fairly
presenting, in all material respects, the financial position of
the
companies being
reported on and their results of operations and cash
flows,
subject
to changes resulting from year-end adjustments; provided that
delivery
within
the time period specified above of copies of the Company's
Quarterly
Report
on Form 10Q prepared in compliance with the requirements therefor
and
filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission shall be deemed to
satisfy
the
requirements of this Section 7.1(a);
(b)
Annual Statements -- within 105 days after the end of each
fiscal
year of
the Company, duplicate copies of,
(i) a
consolidated balance sheet of the Company and its
Subsidiaries, as at
the end of such year, and
(ii)
consolidated statements of earnings and cash flows of
the
Company
and its Subsidiaries, for such year, setting forth in each case
in
comparative form the
figures for the previous fiscal year, all in reasonable
detail,
prepared in accordance with GAAP, and accompanied by:
(1) an
opinion thereon of independent certified public
accountants of
recognized national standing, which opinion shall state
that
such
financial statements present fairly, in all material respects,
the
financial position of
the companies being reported upon and their results of
operations and cash
flows and have been prepared in conformity with GAAP,
and
that
the examination of such accountants in connection with such
financial
statements has been
made in accordance with generally accepted auditing
standards, and that
such audit provides a reasonable basis for such opinion
in
the
circumstances, and
(2) a
certificate of such accountants stating that they have
reviewed this
Agreement and stating further whether, in making their
audit,
they
have become aware of any condition or event that then constitutes
a
Default
or an Event of Default, and, if they are aware that any such
condition
or
event then exists, specifying the nature and period of the
existence thereof
(it
being understood that such accountants shall not be liable,
directly or
indirectly, for any
failure to obtain knowledge of any Default or Event of
Default
unless such accountants should have obtained knowledge thereof
in
making
an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards
or did
not
make such an audit), provided that the delivery within the time
period
specified above of the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10K for such fiscal year
(together with the
Company's annual report to shareholders, if any,
prepared
pursuant to Rule 14a3
under the Exchange Act) prepared in accordance with the
requirements therefor
and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
together with the
accountant's certificate described in clause (2) above,
shall
be
deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section
7.1(b);
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(c) SEC
and Other Reports -- promptly upon their becoming available,
one
copy of
(i) each financial statement, report, notice or proxy statement
sent by
the
Company or any Subsidiary to public securities holders generally,
(ii) each
regular
or periodic report, each registration statement (without
exhibits
except
as expressly requested by such holder), and each prospectus and
all
amendments thereto
filed by the Company or any Subsidiary with the
Securities
and
Exchange Commission and of all press releases and other statements
made
available generally by
the Company or any Subsidiary to the public concerning
developments that are
Material and (iii) copies of all written disclosure
materials provided to
the lenders under the Term Loan Agreement;
(d)
Notice of Default or Event of Default promptly, and in any
event
within
five days after a Responsible Officer becoming aware of the
existence of
any
Default or Event of Default or that any Person has given any notice
or
taken
any action with respect to a claimed default hereunder or that any
Person
has
given any notice or taken any action with respect to a claimed
default of
the
type referred to in Section 11(f), a written notice specifying the
nature
and
period of existence thereof and what action the Company is taking
or
proposes to take with
respect thereto;
(e)
ERISA Matters -- promptly, and in any event within five days after
a
Responsible Officer
becoming aware of any of the following, a written notice
setting
forth the nature thereof and the action, if any, that the Company
or an
ERISA
Affiliate proposes to take with respect thereto:
(i)
with respect to any Plan, any reportable event, as defined
in
Section
4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations thereunder, for which
notice
thereof
has not been waived pursuant to such regulations as in effect on
the
date
hereof; or
(ii)
the taking by the PBGC of steps to institute, or the
threatening by the
PBGC of the institution of, proceedings under Section
4042
of
ERISA for the termination of, or the appointment of a trustee to
administer,
any
Plan, or the receipt by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate of a
notice from
a
Multiemployer Plan that such action has been taken by the PBGC with
respect
to such
Multiemployer Plan; or
(iii)
any event, transaction or condition that could result in
the
incurrence of any
liability by the Company or any ERISA Affiliate pursuant
to
Title I
or IV of ERISA or the penalty or excise tax provisions of the
Code
relating to employee
benefit plans, or in the imposition of any Lien on any
of
the
rights, properties or assets of the Company or any ERISA Affiliate
pursuant
to
Title I or IV of ERISA or such penalty or excise tax provisions, if
such
liability or Lien,
taken together with any other such liabilities or Liens
then
existing, could
reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse
Effect;
(f)
Notices from Governmental Authority -- promptly, and in any
event
within
30 days of receipt thereof, copies of any notice to the Company or
any
Subsidiary from any
Federal or state Governmental Authority relating to any
order,
ruling, statute or other law or regulation that could reasonably
be
expected to have a
Material Adverse Effect; and
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(g)
Requested Information -- with reasonable promptness, such other
data
and
information relating to the business, operations, affairs,
financial
condition, assets or
properties of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
relating to the
ability of the Company to perform its obligations hereunder
and
under
the Notes as from time to time may be reasonably requested by any
such
holder
of Notes, including without limitation, such information as is
required
by SEC
Rule 144A under the Securities Act to be delivered to the
prospective
transferee of the
Notes.
Section
7.2. Officer's Certificate. Each set of financial
statements
delivered to a holder
of Notes pursuant to Section 7.1(a) or Section 7.1(b)
hereof
shall be accompanied by a certificate of a Senior Financial
Officer
setting
forth:
(a)
Covenant Compliance -- the information (including
detailed
calculations) required
in order to establish whether the Company was in
compliance with the
requirements of Section 10.2 through Section 10.7
hereof,
inclusive, during the
quarterly or annual period covered by the statements
then
being
furnished (including with respect to each such Section, where
applicable,
the
calculations of the maximum or minimum amount, ratio or percentage,
as the
case
may be, permissible under the terms of such Sections, and the
calculation
of the
amount, ratio or percentage then in existence); and
(b)
Event of Default -- a statement that such officer has reviewed
the
relevant terms hereof
and has made, or caused to be made, under his or her
supervision, a review
of the transactions and conditions of the Company and
its
Subsidiaries from the
beginning of the quarterly or annual period covered by
the
statements then being furnished to the date of the certificate and
that
such
review shall not have disclosed the existence during such period of
any
condition or event
that constitutes a Default or an Event of Default or, if
any
such
condition or event existed or exists (including, without
limitation, any
such
event or condition resulting from the failure of the Company or
any
Subsidiary to comply
with any Environmental Law), specifying the nature and
period
of existence thereof and what action the Company shall have taken
or
proposes to take with
respect thereto.
Section
7.3. Inspection. The Company shall permit the representatives
of
each
holder of Notes that is an Institutional Investor:
(a) No
Default -- if no Default or Event of Default then exists, at
the
expense
of such holder and upon reasonable prior notice to the Company,
to
visit
the principal executive office of the Company, to discuss the
affairs,
finances and accounts
of the Company and its Subsidiaries with the Company's
officers, and (with
the consent of the Company, which consent will not be
unreasonably withheld)
its independent public accountants, and (with the
consent
of the Company, which consent will not be unreasonably withheld)
to
visit
the other offices and properties of the Company and each
Subsidiary, all
at such
reasonable times and as often as may be reasonably requested
in
writing, but not more
frequently than twice in any twelve month period; and
(b)
Default -- if a Default or Event of Default then exists, at
the
expense
of the Company and upon not less than one Business Day's prior
notice,
to
visit and inspect any of the offices or properties of the Company
or any
Subsidiary, to examine
all their respective books of account, records, reports
and
other papers, to make copies and extracts therefrom, and to discuss
their
respective affairs,
finances and accounts with their respective officers and
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independent public
accountants (and by this provision the Company
authorizes
said
accountants to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the
Company
and its
Subsidiaries), all at such times and as often as may be
requested.
Section
8. Prepayment of the Notes.
Section
8.1. Required Prepayment.
(a)
Series A Notes. The Series A Notes shall not be subject to
scheduled
principal prepayments.
On March 1, 2005, the entire unpaid principal amount of
each
Series A Note, together with accrued interest thereon, shall be due
and
payable.
(b)
Series B Notes. The Series B Notes shall not be subject to
scheduled
principal prepayments.
On September 1 2005, the entire unpaid principal amount
of each
Series B Note, together with accrued interest thereon, shall be due
and
payable.
(c)
Series C Notes. The Series C Notes shall not be subject to
scheduled
principal prepayments.
On March 1, 2006, the entire unpaid principal amount of
each
Series C Note, together with accrued interest thereon, shall be due
and
payable.
Section
8.2. Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount. The
Company
may, at
its option, upon notice as provided below, prepay at any time all,
or
from
time to time any part of, the Notes, on a pro rata basis in respect
of all
Notes
of all Series outstanding at such time, in an amount not less than
10% of
the
aggregate principal amount of all Notes of all Series then
outstanding in
the
case of a partial prepayment, at 100% of the principal amount so
prepaid,
together with interest
accrued thereon to the date of such prepayment, plus the
Make-Whole Amount
determined for the prepayment date with respect to such
principal amount. The
Company will give each holder of Notes written notice of
each
optional prepayment under this Section 8.2 not less than 30 days
and not
more
than 60 days prior to the date fixed for such prepayment. Each
such
notice
shall specify such date, the aggregate principal amount and the
Series
of the
Notes to be prepaid on such date, the principal amount of each Note
held
by such
holder to be prepaid (determined in accordance with Section 8.4),
and
the
interest to be paid on the prepayment date with respect to such
principal
amount
being prepaid, and shall be accompanied by a certificate of a
Senior
Financial Officer as
to the estimated Make-Whole Amount due in connection
with
such
prepayment (calculated as if the date of such notice were the date
of the
prepayment), setting
forth the details of such computation. Two Business Days
prior
to such prepayment, the Company shall deliver to each holder of
Notes a
certificate of a
Senior Financial Officer specifying the calculation of
such
Make-Whole Amount as
of the specified prepayment date.
Section
8.3. Change in Control.
(a)
Notice of Change in Control or Control Event. The Company
will,
within
five Business Days after any Responsible Officer has knowledge of
the
occurrence of any
Change in Control or Control Event, give written notice
of
such
Change in Control or Control Event to each holder of Notes unless
notice
in
respect of such Change in Control (or the Change in Control
contemplated by
such
Control Event) shall have been given pursuant to subparagraph (b)
of this
Section
8.3. If a Change in Control has occurred, such notice shall
contain
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<PAGE>
and
constitute an offer to prepay the Notes, on a pro rata basis in
respect of
all
Notes of all Series outstanding at such time, as described in
subparagraph
(c) of
this Section 8.3 and shall be accompanied by the certificate
described
in
subparagraph (g) of this Section 8.3.
(b)
Condition to Company Action. The Company will not take any
action
that
consummates or finalizes a Change in Control unless (i) at least 30
days
prior
to such action it shall have given to each holder of Notes written
notice
containing and
constituting an offer to prepay the Notes, on a pro rata
basis
in
respect of all Notes of all Series outstanding at such time, as
described in
subparagraph (c) of
this Section 8.3, accompanied by the certificate
described
in
subparagraph (g) of this Section 8.3, and (ii) contemporaneously
with such
action,
it prepays all Notes required to be prepaid in accordance with
this
Section
8.3.
(c)
Offer to Prepay Notes. The offer to prepay Notes contemplated
by
subparagraphs (a) and
(b) of this Section 8.3 shall be an offer to prepay, in
accordance with and
subject to this Section 8.3, all, but not less than all,
of
the
Notes of each Series held by each holder (in this case only,
"holder" in
respect
of any Note registered in the name of a nominee for a
disclosed
beneficial owner shall
mean such beneficial owner) on a date specified in such
offer
(the "Proposed Prepayment Date"). If such Proposed Prepayment Date
is in
connection with an
offer contemplated by subparagraph (a) of this Section
8.3,
such
date shall be not less than 30 days and not more than 120 days
after the
date of
such offer (if the Proposed Prepayment Date shall not be specified
in
such
offer, the Proposed Prepayment Date shall be the first Business Day
after
the
45th day after the date of such offer).
(d)
Acceptance. A holder of Notes may accept the offer to prepay
made
pursuant to this
Section 8.3 by causing a notice of such acceptance to be
delivered to the
Company not later than 15 days after receipt by such holder
of
the
most recent offer of prepayment. A failure by a holder of Notes to
respond
to an
offer to prepay made pursuant to this Section shall be deemed
to
constitute a rejection
of such offer by such holder.
(e)
Prepayment. Prepayment of the Notes to be prepaid pursuant to
this
Section
8.3 shall be at 100% of the principal amount of such Notes,
together
with
interest on such Notes accrued to the date of prepayment, plus the
Make-
Whole
Amount determined for the prepayment date with respect to such
principal
amount.
The prepayment shall be made on the Proposed Prepayment Date except
as
provided in
subparagraph (f) of this Section 8.3.
(f)
Deferral Pending Change in Control. The obligation of the Company
to
prepay
Notes pursuant to the offers required by subparagraph (c) and
accepted
in
accordance with subparagraph (d) of this Section 8.3 is subject to
the
occurrence of the
Change in Control in respect of which such offers and
acceptances shall have
been made. In the event that such Change in Control has
not
occurred on the Proposed Prepayment Date in respect thereof, the
prepayment
shall
be deferred until, and shall be made on, the date on which such
Change in
Control
occurs. The Company shall keep each holder of Notes reasonably
and
timely
informed of (i) any such deferral of the date of prepayment, (ii)
he
date on
which such Change in Control and the prepayment are expected to
occur,
and
(iii) any determination by the Company that efforts to effect such
Change
in
Control have ceased or been abandoned (in which case the offers
and
acceptances made
pursuant to this Section 8.3 in respect of such Change
in
Control
shall be deemed rescinded).
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<PAGE>
(g)
Officer's Certificate. Each offer to prepay the Notes pursuant
to
this
Section 8.3 shall be accompanied by a certificate, executed by a
Senior
Financial Officer of
the Company and dated the date of such offer,
specifying:
(i) he
Proposed Prepayment Date; (ii) that such offer is made pursuant to
this
Section
8.3; (iii) the principal amount and Series of each Note offered to
be
prepaid; (iv) the
interest that would be due on each Note offered to be
prepaid, accrued to
the Proposed Prepayment Date; (v) an estimate of the
Make-Whole Amount
payable in connection with such prepayment; (vi) that
the
conditions of this
Section 8.3 have been fulfilled; and (vii) in reasonable
detail,
the nature and date or proposed date of the Change in
Control.
(h)
Certain Definitions. "Change in Control" shall be deemed to
have
occurred if any of the
following events shall occur: (i) any person (as such
term is
used in Section 13(d) and Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act as
in
effect
on the date of the Closing) or related persons constituting a group
(as
such
term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), other than
members of
the
Meredith Family,
(1)
become the "beneficial owners" (as such term is used in
Rule
13d-3 under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of the
Closing),
directly or
indirectly, of more than 50% of the total voting power of
all
classes
then outstanding of the Company's Voting Stock, or
(2)
acquire after the date of the Closing (x) the power to
elect,
appoint
or cause the election or appointment of at least a majority of
the
members
of the board of directors of the Company, through beneficial
ownership
of the
capital stock of the Company or otherwise, or (y) all or
substantially
all of
the properties and assets of the Company; or (ii) members of
the
Meredith Family cease
to hold in the aggregate the requisite shares of the
Company's Voting Stock
necessary to permit the members of the Meredith Family
to
elect a majority of the corporate directors of the
Company.
"Control Event"
means:
(i) the
execution by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or
Affiliates of any
agreement or letter of intent with respect to any
proposed
transaction or event
or series of transactions or events which, individually
or
in the
aggregate, may reasonably be expected to result in a Change in
Control,
(ii)
the execution of any written agreement which, when fully
performed by the
parties thereto, would result in a Change in Control, or
(iii)
the making of any written offer by any person (as such
term is
used in Section 13(d) and Section 14(d)(2) of the Exchange Act as
in
effect
on the date of the Closing) or related persons constituting a group
(as
such
term is used in Rule 13d-5 under the Exchange Act as in effect on
the date
of the
Closing) to the holders of the common stock of the Company, which
offer,
if
accepted by the requisite number of holders, would result in a
Change in
Control.
(i) All
calculations contemplated in this Section 8.3 involving
the
capital
stock of any Person shall be made with the assumption that
all
convertible Securities
of such Person then outstanding and all convertible
Securities issuable
upon the exercise of any warrants, options and other
rights
outstanding at such
time were converted at such time and that all options,
warrants and similar
rights to acquire shares of capital stock of such Person
were
exercised at such time.
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<PAGE>
Section
8.4. Allocation of Partial Prepayments. In the case of
each
partial
prepayment of the Notes pursuant to Section 8.2, the principal
amount
of the
Notes to be prepaid shall be allocated among all of the Notes of
all
Series
at the time outstanding in proportion, as nearly as practicable, to
the
respective unpaid
principal amounts thereof not theretofore called for
prepayment. All
partial prepayments made pursuant to Section 8.3 shall
be
applied
only to the Notes of the holders who have elected to participate
in
such
prepayment.
Section
8.5. Maturity; Surrender, Etc. In the case of each prepayment
of
Notes
pursuant to this Section 8, the principal amount of each Note to
be
prepaid
shall mature and become due and payable on the date fixed for
such
prepayment, together
with interest on such principal amount accrued to such
date
and the applicable Make-Whole Amount, if any. From and after such
date,
unless
the Company shall fail to pay such principal amount when so due
and
payable, together with
the interest and Make-Whole Amount, if any, as
aforesaid, interest on
such principal amount shall cease to accrue. Any Note
paid or
prepaid in full shall be surrendered to the Company and cancelled
and
shall
not be reissued, and no Note shall be issued in lieu of any
prepaid
principal amount of
any Note.
Section
8.6. Purchase of Notes. The Company will not and will not
permit
any
Affiliate to purchase, redeem, prepay or otherwise acquire,
directly or
indirectly, any of the
outstanding Notes except upon the payment or prepayment
of the
Notes in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and the Notes.
The
Company
will promptly cancel all Notes acquired by it or any Affiliate
pursuant
to any
payment, prepayment or purchase of Notes pursuant to any provision
of
this
Agreement and no Notes may be issued in substitution or exchange
for any
such
Notes.
Section
8.7. Make-Whole Amount. The term "Make-Whole Amount" means,
with
respect
to any Note of any Series, an amount equal to the excess, if any,
of
the
Discounted Value of the Remaining Scheduled Payments with respect
to the
Called
Principal of such Note over the amount of such Called
Principal;
provided that the
Make-Whole Amount may in no event be less than zero. For
the
purposes of
determining the Make-Whole Amount, the following terms have
the
following
meanings:
"Called
Principal" means, with respect to any Note, the principal of
such
Note
that is to be prepaid pursuant to Section 8.2 or Section 8.3 or has
become
or is
declared to be immediately due and payable pursuant to Section
12.1, as
the
context requires.
"Discounted Value"
means, with respect to the Called Principal of any
Note,
the amount obtained by discounting all Remaining Scheduled Payments
with
respect
to such Called Principal from their respective scheduled due dates
to
the
Settlement Date with respect to such Called Principal, in
accordance with
accepted financial
practice and at a discount factor (applied on the same
periodic basis as that
on which interest on the Notes is payable) equal to the
Reinvestment Yield
with respect to such Called Principal.
"Reinvestment Yield"
means, with respect to the Called Principal of any
Note,
the sum of (a) 0.50% per annum plus (b) the yield to maturity
implied by
(i) the
yields reported, as of 10:00 A.M. (New York City time) on the
second
Business Day preceding
the Settlement Date with respect to such Called
Principal, on the
display designated as "Page USD" of the Bloomberg
Financial
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<PAGE>
Markets
Services Screen (or, if not available, any other nationally
recognized
trading
screen reporting online intraday trading in the U.S.
Treasury
securities) for
actively traded U.S. Treasury securities having a
maturity
equal
to the Remaining Average Life of such Called Principal as of
such
Settlement Date, or
(ii) if such yields are not reported as of such time or
the
yields
reported as of such time are not ascertainable, the Treasury
Constant
Maturity Series Yields
reported, for the latest day for which such yields have
been so
reported as of the second Business Day preceding the Settlement
Date
with
respect to such Called Principal, in Federal Reserve Statistical
Release
H.15
(519) (or any comparable successor publication) for actively traded
U.S.
Treasury securities
having a constant maturity equal to the Remaining
Average
Life of
such Called Principal as of such Settlement Date. Such implied
yield
will be
determined, if necessary, by (1) converting U.S. Treasury
bill
quotations to
bond-equivalent yields in accordance with accepted
financial
practice and (2)
interpolating linearly between (A) the actively traded
U.S.
Treasury security with
the maturity closest to and greater than the Remaining
Average
Life and (B) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with
the
maturity closest to
and less than the Remaining Average Life.
"Remaining Average
Life" means, with respect to any Called Principal, the
number
of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year) obtained
by
dividing (a) such
Called Principal into (b) the sum of the products obtained
by
multiplying (i) the
principal component of each Remaining Scheduled Payment
with
respect to such Called Principal by (ii) the number of years
(calculated
to the
nearest one-twelfth year) that will elapse between the Settlement
Date
with
respect to such Called Principal and the scheduled due date of
such
Remaining Scheduled
Payment.
"Remaining Scheduled
Payments" means, with respect to the Called Principal
of any
Note, all payments of such Called Principal and interest thereon
that
would
be due after the Settlement Date with respect to such Called
Principal if
no
payment of such Called Principal were made prior to its scheduled
due date;
p