Exhibit 4.3
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EXECUTION COPY
MEREDITH
CORPORATION
$50,000,000 6.39%
Senior Notes, Series A, Due April 1, 2007
$50,000,000 6.62%
Senior Notes, Series B, Due April 1, 2008
NOTE PURCHASE
AGREEMENT
Dated as of April 1,
2002
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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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1
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SECTION 2.
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SALE AND PURCHASE OF NOTES
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1
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SECTION 3.
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CLOSING
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2
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SECTION 4.
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CONDITIONS TO CLOSING
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2
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Section 4.1.
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Representations and Warranties
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2
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Section 4.2.
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Performance; No Default
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2
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Section 4.3.
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Compliance Certificates
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3
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Section 4.4.
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Opinions of Counsel
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3
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Section 4.5.
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Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, Etc
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3
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Section 4.6.
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Sale of Other Notes
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3
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Section 4.7.
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Payment of Special Counsel Fees
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3
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Section 4.8.
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Private Placement Number
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4
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Section 4.9.
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Changes in Corporate Structure
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4
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Section 4.10.
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Other Agreements
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4
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Section 4.11.
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Funding Instructions
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4
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Section 4.12.
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Proceedings and Documents
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4
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SECTION 5.
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REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY
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4
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Section 5.1.
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Organization; Power and Authority
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4
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Section 5.2.
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Authorization, Etc
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4
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Section 5.3.
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Disclosure
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5
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Section 5.4.
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Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries
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5
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Section 5.5.
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Financial Statements
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6
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Section 5.6.
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Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc
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6
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Section 5.7.
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Governmental Authorizations, Etc
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6
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Section 5.8.
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Litigation
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6
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Section 5.9.
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Taxes
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7
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Section 5.10.
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Title to Property
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7
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Section 5.11.
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Licenses, Permits, Etc
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7
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Section 5.12.
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Compliance with ERISA
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8
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Section 5.13.
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Private Offering by the Company
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9
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Section 5.14.
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Use of Proceeds;
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9
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Section 5.15.
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Existing Debt; Future Liens
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9
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Section 5.16.
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Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc
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9
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Section 5.17.
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Status under Certain Statutes
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9
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Section 5.18.
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Notes Rank Pari Passu
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10
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Section 5.19.
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Environmental Matters
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10
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Section 5.20.
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Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc
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10
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SECTION 6.
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REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURCHASER
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10
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Section 6.1.
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Purchase for Investment
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10
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Section 6.2.
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Source of Funds
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11
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SECTION 7.
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INFORMATION AS TO THE COMPANY
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12
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Section 7.1.
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Financial and Business Information
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12
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Section 7.2.
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Officer's Certificate
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15
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Section 7.3.
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Inspection
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15
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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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16
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Section 8.1.
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Required Prepayments
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16
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Section 8.2.
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Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount
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16
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Section 8.3.
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Change in Control
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16
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Section 8.4.
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Allocation of Partial Prepayments
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19
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Section 8.5.
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Maturity; Surrender, Etc
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19
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Section 8.6.
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Purchase of Notes
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19
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Section 8.7.
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Make-Whole Amount
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19
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SECTION 9.
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AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
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21
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Section 9.1.
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Compliance with Law
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21
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Section 9.2.
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Insurance
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21
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Section 9.3.
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Maintenance of Properties
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21
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Section 9.4.
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Payment of Taxes and Claims
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22
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Section 9.5.
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Corporate Existence, Etc
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22
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Section 9.6.
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Notes to Rank Pari Passu
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22
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SECTION 10.
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NEGATIVE COVENANTS
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22
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Section 10.1.
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Transactions with Affiliates
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22
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Section 10.2.
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Consolidated Net Worth
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22
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Section 10.3.
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Interest Coverage Ratio
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23
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Section 10.4.
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Limitations on Debt
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23
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Section 10.5.
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Liens
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23
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Section 10.6.
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Mergers, Consolidations and Sales of Assets
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25
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Section 10.7.
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Limitation on Sale-and-Leaseback Transactions
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27
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Section 10.8.
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Termination of Pension Plans
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27
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Section 10.9.
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Nature of Business
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28
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SECTION 11.
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EVENTS OF DEFAULT
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28
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SECTION 12.
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REMEDIES ON DEFAULT, ETC
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30
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Section 12.1.
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Acceleration
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30
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Section 12.2.
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Other Remedies
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31
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Section 12.3.
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Rescission
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31
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Section 12.4.
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No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, Etc
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31
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SECTION 13.
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REGISTRATION; EXCHANGE; SUBSTITUTION OF NOTES
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31
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Section 13.1.
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Registration of Notes
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31
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Section 13.2.
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Transfer and Exchange of Notes
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32
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Section 13.3.
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Replacement of Notes
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32
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SECTION 14.
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PAYMENTS ON NOTES
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Section 14.1.
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Place of Payment
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Section 14.2.
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Home Office Payment
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33
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SECTION 15.
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EXPENSES, ETC
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Section 15.1.
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Transaction Expenses
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Section 15.2.
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Survival
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SECTION 16.
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SURVIVAL OF REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES;
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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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Section 17.1.
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Requirements
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Section 17.2.
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Solicitation of Holders of Notes
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Section 17.3.
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Binding Effect, Etc
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35
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Section 17.4.
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Notes Held by Company, Etc
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35
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SECTION 18.
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NOTICES
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SECTION 19.
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REPRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS
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36
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SECTION 20.
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CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
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SECTION 21.
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SUBSTITUTION OF PURCHASER
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37
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SECTION 22.
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MISCELLANEOUS
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Section 22.1.
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Successors and Assigns
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Section 22.2.
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Payments Due on Non-Business Days
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37
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Section 22.3.
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Severability
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Section 22.4.
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Construction
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Section 22.5.
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Counterparts
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38
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Section 22.6.
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Governing Law
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38
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Section 22.7.
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Submission to Jurisdiction
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38
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Signature
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SCHEDULE A - Information Relating to Purchasers
SCHEDULE B * - Defined Terms
SCHEDULE 5.3 - Disclosure Materials
SCHEDULE 5.4 - Subsidiaries of the Company and Ownership of
Subsidiary Stock
SCHEDULE 5.5 - Financial Statements
SCHEDULE 5.14 - Use of Proceeds
SCHEDULE 5.15 - Existing Debt
EXHIBIT 1-A * - Form of 6.39% Senior Note, Series A, due April
1, 2007
EXHIBIT 1-B * - Form of 6.62% Senior Note, Series B, due April
1, 2008
EXHIBIT 4.4(a) - Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the
Company
EXHIBIT 4.4(b) - Form of Opinion of General Counsel for the
Company
EXHIBIT 4.4(c) - Form of Opinion of Special Counsel for the
Purchasers
Note: Material schedules and exhibits (those marked *) are
included in this filing.
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<PAGE>
MEREDITH CORPORATION
1716 Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
$50,000,000 6.39% Senior Notes, Series A, Due April 1, 2007
$50,000,000 6.62% Senior Notes, Series B, Due April 1, 2008
Dated as of April 1, 2002
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) $50,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.39% Senior
Notes,
Series A, due April 1, 2007 (the "Series A Notes"); and
(b) $50,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 6.62% Senior
Notes,
Series B, due April 1, 2008 (the "Series B Notes").
The terms "Series A Notes" and "Series B Notes" as used in this
Agreement shall
include each Series A Note and Series B 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 and Series B Notes. The Series
A Notes and
Series B Notes shall be substantially in the forms set forth in
Exhibits 1-A
and 1-B, 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 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
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<PAGE>
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 April 9, 2002. 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.
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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 Sidley Austin Brown &
Wood, special
counsel for the Company, covering the matters set forth in
Exhibit 4.4(a) and
(b) from John S. Zieser, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel
and Secretary of
the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(b)
and, in each
case, 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 (c)
from Chapman and
Cutler, your special counsel in connection with such
transactions,
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit 4.4(c) 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. 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 4.7. 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
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<PAGE>
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.
Section 4.8. 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 4.9. 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 4.10. Other Agreements.
The Company shall have delivered to you a copy of the final
Credit Agreement
dated as of April 5, 2002 (the "Credit Agreement") among the
Company, the
Lenders listed therein, Fleet National Bank, as Administrative
Agent and
Issuing Lender, Bank One, NA and Wells Fargo Bank, National
Association, each
as a Co-Syndication Agent, and SunTrust Bank, Central Florida,
National
Association, as Documentation Agent.
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:
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<PAGE>
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).
Section 5.3. Disclosure.
The Company, through its agent, SunTrust Capital Markets, Inc.,
has delivered
to you and each Other Purchaser a copy of a Private Placement
Memorandum, dated
February, 2002 (as supplemented pursuant to the Company's
Current Report on
Form 8-K dated March 22, 2002, 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. Except as disclosed in Schedule
5.3, 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, it being understood that no representation or
warranty is made
with respect to the projections included therein other than that
they are based
on information the Company believed as of the date thereof to be
accurate and
were calculated in a manner the Company believed to be
reasonable. Except as
disclosed in the Memorandum or as expressly described in
Schedule 5.3, or in
one of the documents, certificates or other writings identified
therein, or in
the financial statements listed in Schedule 5.5, since June 30,
2001, 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
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<PAGE>
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.
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).
- 10 -
<PAGE>
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.
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.
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 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
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<PAGE>
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, 1997.
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.
- 12 -
<PAGE>
(b) The present value of the aggregate benefit liabilities under
each of
the Plans subject to Title IV of ERISA (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 or
has otherwise
been disclosed in footnote 9 of the Company's most recent
audited financial
statements.
(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
two 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
- 13 -
<PAGE>
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 more than .5% 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 5.0%
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.
Section 5.15. Existing Debt; Future Liens.
(a) Except as described therein, Schedule 5.15 sets forth a
complete and
correct list of all outstanding Debt of the Company and its
Subsidiaries as of
March 31, 2002. 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 the
outstanding
principal amount of which exceeds $1,000,000 and no event or
condition exists
with respect to any such 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.
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<PAGE>
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
(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. 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. Without
limiting the
foregoing, neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries (a)
is a person
whose property or interests in property are blocked pursuant to
Section 1 of
Executive Order 13224 of September 23, 2001 Blocking Property
and Prohibiting
Transaction With Persons Who Commit, Threaten to Commit, or
Support Terrorism
(66 Fed. Reg. 49079 (2001)) or (b) engages in any dealings or
transactions, or
be otherwise associated, with any such person.
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
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<PAGE>
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 90-1 (issued January 29,
1990), or (ii) a
bank collective investment fund, within the meaning of the PTE
91-38 (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
(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.
- 16 -
<PAGE>
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
(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 10-Q 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
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<PAGE>
(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 10-K for such fiscal year
(together with the
Company's annual report to shareholders, if any, prepared
pursuant to Rule
14a-3 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);
(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, and (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;
(d) Notice of Default or Event of Default - promptly, and in any
event
within five Business 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;
- 18 -
<PAGE>
(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
(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
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<PAGE>
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
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 April 1, 2007, 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 April 1, 2008, the entire unpaid
principal amount of
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each Series B 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, any Series of Notes,
on a pro rata
basis in respect of all Notes of such Series outstanding at such
time, in an
amount not less than 10% of the aggregate principal amount of
all Notes of such
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 of the Series to be prepaid 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
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
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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) the
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).
(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) the 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 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,
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(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.
"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.
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 Series of Notes to be prepaid shall
be allocated
among all of the Notes of such 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
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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 (a) upon the payment or prepayment of the Notes in
accordance with
the terms of this Agreement and the Notes or (b) pursuant to an
offer to
purchase made by the Company or an Affiliate pro rata to the
holders of all
Notes at the time outstanding upon the same terms and
conditions. Any such
offer shall provide each holder with sufficient information to
enable it to
make an informed decision with respect to such offer, and shall
remain open for
at least 30 days. If the holders of more than 50% of the
principal amount of
the Notes then outstanding accept such offer, the Company shall
promptly notify
the remaining holders of such fact and the expiration date for
the acceptance
by holders of Notes of such offer shall be extended by the
number of days
necessary to give each such remaining holder at least 15 days
from its receipt
of such notice to accept such offer. 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 Pages PX1 through PX7 of
the Bloomberg
Financial Markets Services Screen (or, if not available, any
other nationally
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recognized trading screen reporting on-line 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