Note Purchase Agreement

Exhibit 4.1

 

EXECUTION VERSION

 

Meredith Corporation

$50,000,000 4.42% Senior Notes, Series F, Due July 1, 2007

$75,000,000 4.50% Senior Notes, Series G, Due July 1, 2008

$100,000,000 4.57% Senior Notes, Series H, Due July 1, 2009

$75,000,000 4.70% Senior Notes, Series I, Due July 1, 2010

______________

Note Purchase Agreement

_____________

Dated as of July 1, 2005

 

 

SECTION 1. Authorization of Notes 1

SECTION 2.    Sale and Purchase of Notes       2

SECTION 3.    Closing 2

SECTION 4.    Conditions to Closing     2

Section 4.1.       Representations and Warranties             2

Section 4.2.       Performance; No Default           2

Section 4.3.       Compliance Certificates             3

Section 4.4.       Opinions of Counsel      3

Section 4.5.       Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, Etc       3

Section 4.6.       Sale of Other Notes       4

Section 4.7.       Payment of Special Counsel Fees           4

Section 4.8.       Private Placement Number         4

Section 4.9.       Changes in Corporate Structure             4

Section 4.10.     Funding Instructions       4

Section 4.11.     Proceedings and Documents      4

SECTION 5.    Representations and Warranties of the Company            5

Section 5.1.       Organization; Power and Authority         5

Section 5.2.       Authorization, Etc          5

Section 5.3.       Disclosure         5

Section 5.4.       Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries; Affiliates    6

Section 5.5.       Financial Statements      6

Section 5.6.       Compliance with Laws, Other Instruments, Etc   7

Section 5.7.       Governmental Authorizations, Etc           7

Section 5.8.       Litigation; Observance of Agreements, Statutes and Orders 7

Section 5.9.       Taxes    7

Section 5.10.     Title to Property; Leases            8

Section 5.11.     Licenses, Permits, Etc    8

Section 5.12.     Compliance with ERISA            8

Section 5.13.     Private Offering by the Company           9

Section 5.14.     Use of Proceeds; Margin Regulations     10

Section 5.15.     Existing Debt; Future Liens        10

Section 5.16.     Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc             11

Section 5.17.     Status under Certain Statutes     11

Section 5.18.     Notes Rank Pari Passu 11

Section 5.19.     Environmental Matters   11

SECTION 6.    Representations of the Purchaser            12

Section 6.1.       Purchase for Investment             12

Section 6.2.       Source of Funds            12

SECTION 7.    Information as to the Company 14

Section 7.1.       Financial and Business Information         14

Section 7.2.       Officer's Certificate        17

Section 7.3.       Visitation           17

SECTION 8.    Payment and Prepayment of the Notes   18

Section 8.1.       Required Payment         18

Section 8.2.       Optional Prepayments with Make-Whole Amount             18

Section 8.3.       Change in Control          19

Section 8.4.       Allocation of Partial Prepayments           21

Section 8.5.       Maturity; Surrender, Etc            21

Section 8.6.       Purchase of Notes         22

Section 8.7.       Make-Whole Amount    22

SECTION 9.    Affirmative Covenants    23

Section 9.1.       Compliance with Law    23

Section 9.2.       Insurance           24

Section 9.3.       Maintenance of Properties         24

Section 9.4.       Payment of Taxes and Claims    24

Section 9.5.       Corporate Existence, Etc           24

Section 9.6.       Notes to Rank Pari Passu          25

Section 9.7.       Books and Records       25

SECTION 10. Negative Covenants       25

Section 10.1.     Transactions with Affiliates         25

Section 10.2.     Interest Coverage Ratio             25

Section 10.3.     Limitations on Debt        25

Section 10.4.     Liens     26

Section 10.5.     Mergers, Consolidations and Sales of Assets      28

Section 10.6.     Limitation on Sale-and-Leaseback Transactions             30

Section 10.7.     Termination of Pension Plans      31

Section 10.8.     Nature of Business         31

Section 10.9.     Terrorism Sanctions Regulations             31

SECTION 11. Events of Default           31

SECTION 12. Remedies on Default, Etc           33

Section 12.1.     Acceleration      33

Section 12.2.     Other Remedies             34

Section 12.3.     Rescission         34

Section 12.4.     No Waivers or Election of Remedies, Expenses, Etc             35

SECTION 13. Registration; Exchange; Substitution of Notes     35

Section 13.1.     Registration of Notes     35

Section 13.2.     Transfer and Exchange of Notes            35

Section 13.3.     Replacement of Notes   36

SECTION 14. Payments on Notes        36

Section 14.1.     Place of Payment           36

Section 14.2.     Home Office Payment    36

SECTION 15. Expenses, Etc    37

Section 15.1.     Transaction Expenses    37

Section 15.2.     Survival             37

SECTION 16. Survival of Representations and Warranties; Entire Agreement    37

SECTION 17. Amendment and Waiver            38

Section 17.1.     Requirements     38

Section 17.2.     Solicitation of Holders of Notes             38

Section 17.3.     Binding Effect, etc          39

Section 17.4.     Notes Held by Company, etc     39

SECTION 18. Notices             39

SECTION 19. Reproduction of Documents       40

SECTION 20. Confidential Information             40

SECTION 21. Substitution of Purchaser            41

SECTION 22. Miscellaneous    41

Section 22.1.     Successors and Assigns             41

Section 22.2.     Payments Due on Non-Business Days    41

Section 22.3.     Accounting Terms          42

Section 22.4.     Severability        42

Section 22.5.     Construction. etc           42

Section 22.6.     Counterparts     42

Section 22.7.     Governing Law 42

Section 22.8.     Jurisdiction and Process; Waiver of Jury Trial     43

SCHEDULES AND EXHIBITS

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 4.42% Senior Note, Series F, due July 1, 2007

* Exhibit 1-B - Form of 4.50% Senior Note, Series G, due July 1, 2008

* Exhibit 1-C - Form of 4.57% Senior Note, Series H, due July 1, 2009

* Exhibit 1-D - Form of 4.70% Senior Note, Series I, due July 1, 2010

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

Material Schedules and Exhibits (those marked with *) are included in this filing.

 

 

Meredith Corporation
1716 Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50309

$50,000,000 4.42% Senior Notes, Series F, Due July 1, 2007
$75,000,000 4.50% Senior Notes, Series G, Due July 1, 2008
$100,000,000 4.57% Senior Notes, Series H, Due July 1, 2009
$75,000,000 4.70% Senior Notes, Series I, Due July 1, 2010

 

Dated as of July 1, 2005

To Each of the Purchasers listed in
Schedule A hereto:

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Meredith Corporation, an Iowa corporation (the "Company" ), agrees with each of the purchasers whose names appear at the end hereof (each, a " Purchaser " and, collectively, the " Purchasers ") 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 4.42% Senior Notes, Series F, due July 1, 2007 (the "Series F Notes" , such term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefore pursuant to Section 13);

(b)         $75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.50% Senior Notes, Series G, due July 1, 2008 (the "Series G Notes" , such term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefore pursuant to Section 13);

(c)         $100,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.57% Senior Notes, Series H, due July 1, 2009 (the "Series H Notes" , such term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefore pursuant to Section 13); and

(d)         $75,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.70% Senior Notes, Series I, due July 1, 2010 (the "Series I Notes" , such term to include any such notes issued in substitution therefore pursuant to Section 13).

            The term "Notes" as used in this Agreement shall include, collectively, the Series F Notes, Series G Notes, Series H Notes and Series I Notes. The Series F Notes, Series G Notes, Series H Notes and Series I Notes shall be substantially in the respective forms set forth in Exhibits 1-A, 1-B, 1-C and 1-D in each case with such changes therefrom, if any, as may be approved by the Purchasers and the Company. Certain capitalized and other terms used in this Agreement are defined in Schedule B; and 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 each Purchaser and each Purchaser will purchase from the Company, at the Closing provided for in Section 3, Notes in the principal amount and of the Series specified opposite such Purchaser's name in Schedule A at the purchase price of 100% of the principal amount and of the Series thereof. The Purchasers' obligations hereunder are several and not joint obligations, and no Purchaser shall have any liability to any Person for the performance or non-performance of any obligation by any other Purchaser hereunder.

SECTION 3 CLOSING.

The sale and purchase of the Notes to be purchased by each Purchaser shall occur at the offices of Bingham McCutchen LLP, 399 Park Avenue, New York, New York at 10:00 a.m. at a closing (the " Closing ") on July 1, 2005 or on such other Business Day thereafter on or prior to July 29, 2005 as may be agreed upon by the Company and the Purchasers. At the Closing the Company will deliver to each Purchaser the Notes to be purchased by such Purchaser in the form of a single Note (or such greater number of Notes in denominations of at least $100,000 as such Purchaser may request) dated the date of the Closing and registered in such Purchaser's name (or in the name of its nominee), against delivery by such Purchaser 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 to account number 0289646226 at Wells Fargo Bank N.A., San Francisco, CA, USA ABA #121000248. If at the Closing the Company shall fail to tender such Notes to any Purchaser as provided above in this Section 3, or any of the conditions specified in Section 4 shall not have been fulfilled to such Purchaser's satisfaction, such Purchaser shall, at its election, be relieved of all further obligations under this Agreement, without thereby waiving any rights such Purchaser may have by reason of such failure or such nonfulfillment.

SECTION 4 CONDITIONS TO CLOSING.

Each Purchaser's obligation to purchase and pay for the Notes to be sold to such Purchaser at the Closing is subject to the fulfilment to such Purchaser's 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 Section 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.

Section 4.3       Compliance Certificates.

1. Officer's Certificate . The Company shall have delivered to such Purchaser 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.
2. Secretary's Certificate . The Company shall have delivered to such Purchaser a certificate of its Secretary or Assistant Secretary, dated the date of Closing, certifying as to the resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization, execution and delivery of the Notes and this Agreement.

Section 4.4       Opinions of Counsel.

Such Purchaser shall have received opinions in form and substance satisfactory to such Purchaser, dated the date of the Closing (a) from Sidley Austin Brown & Wood LLP, special counsel for the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(a) and (b) from John S. Zieser, Esq., Vice President - Corporate Development, General Counsel and Secretary of the Company, covering the matters set forth in Exhibit 4.4(b) and covering such other matters incident to the transactions contemplated hereby as such Purchaser or its counsel may reasonably request (and the Company hereby instructs its counsel to deliver such opinion to the Purchasers) and (c) from Bingham McCutchen LLP, the Purchasers' 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 such Purchaser may reasonably request.

Section 4.5       Purchase Permitted By Applicable Law, Etc.

On the date of the Closing, such Purchaser's purchase of Notes shall be permitted by the laws and regulations of each jurisdiction to which such Purchaser is 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, 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 not subject such Purchaser 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 such Purchaser, such Purchaser shall have received an Officer's Certificate certifying as to such matters of fact as such Purchaser may reasonably specify to enable such Purchaser to determine whether such purchase is so permitted.

Section 4.6       Sale of Other Notes.

Contemporaneously with the Closing, the Company shall sell to each other Purchaser, and each other Purchaser shall purchase, the Notes to be purchased by it 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 the Purchasers' 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.

Section 4.8       Private Placement Number.

A Private Placement Number issued by Standard & Poor's CUSIP Service Bureau (in cooperation with the SVO) shall have been obtained for each Series of 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, or 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, except for any assumption of liabilities pursuant to the acquisition of magazine and associated assets of Gruner + Jahr USA Publishing.

Section 4.10     Funding Instructions.

At least three Business Days prior to the date of the Closing, each Purchaser shall have received written instructions, signed by a Responsible Officer on letterhead of the Company confirming the information specified in the second sentence of Section 3 including (i) the name and address of the transferee bank, (ii) such transferee bank's ABA number, and (iii) the account name and number into which the purchase price for the Notes is to be deposited.

Section 4.11     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 such Purchaser and its special counsel, and such Purchaser and its special counsel shall have received all such counterpart originals or certified or other copies of such documents as such Purchaser or such special counsel may reasonably request.

SECTION 5 REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES OF THE COMPANY.

The Company represents and warrants to each Purchaser 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 Notes and to perform the provisions hereof and thereof.

Section 5.2       Authorization, Etc.

This Agreement 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 (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting the enforcement of creditors' rights generally and (ii) 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 each Purchaser a copy of a Confidential Private Placement Memorandum, dated June 2005, as supplemented pursuant to the Company's Current Reports on Form 8-K dated June 8, 2005 and June 21, 2005 (collectively, 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 identified in Schedule 5.3 by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby and the financial statements listed in Schedule 5.5, in each case, delivered to the Purchasers prior to June 16, 2005 (this Agreement, the Memorandum and such documents, certificates or other writings and such financial statements being referred to, collectively, as the " Disclosure Documents "), 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 assumptions and calculated in a manner the Company believed and believes as of the date thereof and hereof to be reasonable. Except as disclosed in the Disclosure Documents, since June 30, 2004, 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 Disclosure Documents.

Section 5.4       Organization and Ownership of Shares of Subsidiaries; Affiliates.

(a) Schedule 5.4 contains (except as noted therein) complete and correct lists  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,   of the Company's Affiliates, other than Subsidiaries, and  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, regulatory, contractual or other restriction (other than the agreements listed on Schedule 5.4 and customary limitations imposed by corporate law or similar 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 each 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 Schedule 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). The Company and its Subsidiaries do not have any Material liabilities that are not disclosed on such financial statements or otherwise disclosed in the Disclosure Documents.

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 (i) 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, (ii) 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 (iii) 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, investigations 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 or the USA Patriot Act) 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 the amount of which is not individually or in the aggregate Material or 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 finally determined (whether by reason of completed audits or the statute of limitations having run) for all fiscal years up to and including the fiscal year ended June 30, 2001.

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, proprietary software, 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 which could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(b) To the best knowledge of the Company, no product or service of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries infringes in any material respect any license, permit, franchise, authorization, patent, copyright, proprietary software, service mark, trademark, trade name or other right owned by any other Person which infringement could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

(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, proprietary software, service mark, trademark, trade name or other right owned or used by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries which violation could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

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 non-compliance 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 or section 4068 of ERISA, other than such liabilities or Liens as would not be individually or in the aggregate Material.

(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 postretirement 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 13 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 to each Purchaser in the first sentence of this Section 5.12(e) is made in reliance upon and subject to the accuracy of such Purchaser's 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 such Purchaser.

(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 the Purchasers and not more than 17 other Institutional Investors (as defined in clause (c) of the definition of such term), 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 or the registration requirements of any securities or blue sky laws of any applicable jurisdiction.

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 more than 5.0% 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 May 31, 2005 (including a description of the obligors and obligees, principal amount outstanding and collateral therefor, if any, and Guaranty therefor, if any), since which date there has been no material change in the amounts, interest rates, sinking funds, installment payments or maturities of the Debt of the Company or its Subsidiaries, except to the extent described in such schedule. 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 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 10.4.

(c) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to, or otherwise subject to any provision contained in any instrument evidencing Debt of the Company or such Subsidiary, any agreement relating thereto or any other agreement (including, but not limited to, its charter or other organizational document) which limits the amount of, or otherwise imposes restrictions on the incurring of, Debt of the Company, except as specifically indicated in Schedule 5.15.

Section 5.16     Foreign Assets Control Regulations, Etc.

(a) 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.

(b) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary (i) is a Person described or designated in the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List of the Office of Foreign Assets Control or in section 1 of the Anti-Terrorism Order or (ii) engages in any dealings or transactions with any such Person. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance, in all material respects, with the USA Patriot Act.

(c) No part of the proceeds from the sale of the Notes hereunder will be used, directly or indirectly, for any payments to any governmental official or employee, political party, official of a political party, candidate for political office, or anyone else acting in an official capacity, in order to obtain, retain or direct business or obtain any improper advantage, in violation of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, assuming in all cases that such Act applies to the Company.

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.

(a) 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.

(b) 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.

(c) Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has stored any Hazardous Materials on real properties now or formerly owned, leased or operated by any of them and has not 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.

(d) All buildings on all real properties now owned, leased or operated by the Company or any Subsidiary 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 6 REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PURCHASER.

Section 6.1       Purchase for Investment.

Each Purchaser severally represents that it is purchasing the Notes for its own account or for one or more separate accounts maintained by such Purchaser 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 such Purchaser's or their property shall at all times be within such Purchaser's or their control. Each Purchaser understands 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.

Each Purchaser severally represents that at least one of the following statements is an accurate representation as to each source of funds (a " Source ") to be used by such Purchaser to pay the purchase price of the Notes to be purchased by such Purchaser hereunder:

(a) the Source is an "insurance company general account" (as the term is defined in the United States Department of Labor's Prohibited Transaction Exemption (as further defined in Schedule B, " PTE ") 95-60) in respect of which the reserves and liabilities (as defined by the annual statement for life insurance companies approved by the NAIC (the " NAIC Annual Statement ")) for the general account contract(s) held by or on behalf of any employee benefit plan together with the amount of the reserves and liabilities for the general account contract(s) held by or on behalf of any other employee benefit plans maintained by the same employer (or affiliate thereof as defined in PTE 95-60) or by the same employee organization in the general account do not exceed 10% of the total reserves and liabilities of the general account (exclusive of separate account liabilities) plus surplus as set forth in the NAIC Annual Statement filed with such Purchaser's state of domicile; or

(b) the Source is a separate account that is maintained solely in connection with such Purchaser's fixed contractual obligations under which the amounts payable, or credited, to any employee benefit plan (or its related trust) that has any interest in such separate account (or to any participant or beneficiary of such plan (including any annuitant)) are not affected in any manner by the investment performance of the separate account; or

(c) the Source is either (i) an insurance company pooled separate account, within the meaning of PTE 90-1, or (ii) a bank collective investment fund, within the meaning of PTE 91-38 and, except as disclosed by such Purchaser to the Company in writing pursuant to this clause (c), 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

(d) the Source constitutes assets of an "investment fund" (within the meaning of Part V of PTE 84-14 (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 I(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 clause (d); or

(e) the Source constitutes assets of a "plan(s)" (within the meaning of section IV of PTE 96-23 (the " INHAM Exemption ")) managed by an "in-house asset manager" or "INHAM" (within the meaning of Part IV of the INHAM Exemption), the conditions of Part I(a), (g) and (h) of the INHAM Exemption are satisfied, neither the INHAM nor a person controlling or controlled by the INHAM (applying the definition of "control" in section IV(d) of the INHAM Exemption) owns a 5% or more interest in the Company and (i) the identity of such INHAM and (ii) the name(s) of the employee benefit plan(s) whose assets constitute the Source have been disclosed to the Company in writing pursuant to this clause (e); or

(f) the Source is a governmental plan; or

(g) 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 clause (g); or

(h) the Source does not include assets of any employee benefit plan (within the meaning of ERISA) or plan (within the meaning of section 4975 of the Code), other than an employee benefit plan or plan exempt from the coverage of ERISA and section 4975 of the Code.

As used in this Section 6.2, the terms "employee benefit plan," "governmental plan," 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 (or such shorter period as is 15 days greater than the period applicable to the filing of the Company's Quarterly Report of Form 10-Q (the " Form 10-Q ") with the SEC) 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 income, changes in shareholders' equity 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, 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 Form 10-Q prepared in compliance with the requirements therefor and filed with the SEC shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section 7.1(a), provided, further , that the Company shall be deemed to have made such delivery of such Form 10-Q if it shall have timely made such Form 10-Q available on "EDGAR" and on its home page on the worldwide web (at the date of this Agreement located at: http//www.meredith.com) and shall have given each Purchaser prior notice of such availability on EDGAR and on its home page in connection with each delivery (such availability and notice thereof being referred to as " Electronic Delivery" );

(b) Annual Statements - within 105 days (or such shorter period as is 15 days greater than the period applicable to the filing of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K (the " Form 10-K ") with the SEC) 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 income, changes in shareholders' equity 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:

(A)        an opinion thereon of independent 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

(B)        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 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 SEC, together with the accountant's certificate described in clause (B) above (the " Accountants' Certificate "), shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section 7.1(b), provided, further, that the Company shall be deemed to have made such delivery of such Form 10-K if it shall have timely made Electronic Delivery thereof, in which event the Company shall separately deliver, concurrently with such Electronic Delivery, the Accountants' Certificate;

(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 its principal lending banks as a whole (excluding information sent to such banks in the ordinary course of administration of a bank facility, such as information relating to pricing and borrowing availability) or to its 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 SEC 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 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

(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 (including, but without limitation, actual copies of the Company's Form 10-Q and Form 10-K) 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.

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) shall be accompanied by a certificate of a Senior Financial Officer setting forth (which, in the case of Electronic Delivery of any such financial statements, shall be by separate concurrent delivery of such certificate to each holder of Notes):

(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 10.6 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 Senior Financial 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       Visitation.

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, 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 PAYMENT AND PREPAYMENT OF THE NOTES.

Section 8.1       Required Payment.

(a) Series F Notes . The Series F Notes shall not be subject to scheduled principal prepayments. The entire unpaid principal amount of the Series F Notes shall be paid by the Company on July 1, 2007 at par, together with accrued interest thereon, but without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium.

(b) Series G Notes . The Series G Notes shall not be subject to scheduled principal prepayments. The entire unpaid principal amount of the Series G Notes shall be paid by the Company on July 1, 2008 at par, together with accrued interest thereon, but without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium.

(c) Series H Notes. The Series H Notes shall not be subject to scheduled principal prepayments. The entire unpaid principal amount of the Series H Notes shall be paid by the Company on July 1, 2009 at par, together with accrued interest thereon, but without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium.

(d) Series I Notes. The Series I Notes shall not be subject to scheduled principal prepayments. The entire unpaid principal amount of the Series I Notes shall be paid by the Company on July 1, 2010 at par, together with accrued interest thereon, but without payment of the Make-Whole Amount or any premium.

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 (if no Event of Default then exists) or the Notes without regard to Series (if an Event of Default then exists), in an amount not less than 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes then outstanding (or the entire outstanding amount of any Series being prepaid in full if such amount is less than 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Notes 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, and 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 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. 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) that the conditions of this Section 8.3 have been fulfilled; and (vi) 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 as in effect on the date of the Closing), 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.

"Control Event" means:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 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,
            2. the execution of any written agreement which, when fully performed by the parties thereto, would result in a Change in Control, or
            3. 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.

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 Notes to be prepaid shall be allocated among all such Notes being prepaid 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 (which shall be a Business Day), 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 (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 of such Series 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 of any Series, the principal of such Note that is to be prepaid pursuant to Section 8.2 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 of any Series, 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 such Series of 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 of any Series, 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 PX1" (or such other display as may replace Page PX1 on Bloomberg Financial Markets (" Bloomberg ")) or, if Page PX1 (or its successor screen on Bloomberg) is unavailable, the Telerate Access Service screen which corresponds most closely to Page PX1 for the most recently issued 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 (including by way of interpolation), 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 such Remaining Average Life and (B) the actively traded U.S. Treasury security with the maturity closest to and less than such Remaining Average Life. The Reinvestment Yield shall be rounded to the number of decimal places as appears in the interest rate of the applicable Note.

" Remaining Average Life " means, with respect to any Called Principal of any Series of Notes, the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth year) obtained by dividing (i) such Called Principal into (ii) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (a) the principal component of each Remaining Scheduled Payment with respect to such Called Principal by (b) 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 Series of Notes, 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, provided that if such Settlement Date is not a date on which interest payments are due to be made under the terms of the Notes of such Series, then the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment will be reduced by the amount of interest accrued to such Settlement Date and required to be paid on such Settlement Date pursuant to Section 8.2 or 12.1.

" Settlement Date " means, with respect to the Called Principal of any Note, the date on which such Called Principal is to be prepaid pursuant to Section 8.2 or has become or is declared to be immediately due and payable pursuant to Section 12.1, as the context requires.

SECTION 9 AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS.

The Company covenants that so long as any of the Notes are outstanding:

Section 9.1       Compliance with Law.

Without limiting Section 10.9, the Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, comply with all laws, ordinances or governmental rules or regulations to which each of them is subject, including, without limitation, ERISA, the USA Patriot Act, and applicable laws in respect of Non-U.S. Pension Plans and all Environmental Laws, and will obtain and maintain in effect all licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other governmental authorizations necessary to the ownership of their respective properties or to the conduct of their respective businesses, in each case to the extent necessary to ensure that non-compliance with such laws, ordinances or governmental rules or regulations or failures to obtain or maintain in effect such licenses, certificates, permits, franchises and other governmental authorizations could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

Section 9.2       Insurance.

The Company will, and will cause each of its Subsidiaries to, maintain, with financially sound and reputable insurers, insurance with respect to their respective properties and businesses against such casualties and contingencies, of such types, on such terms and in such amounts (including deductibles, co-insurance and self-insurance, if adequate reserves are maintained with respect thereto) as is customary in the case of entities of established reputations engaged in the same or a similar business and similarly situated.

Section 9.3       Maintenance of Properties.

The Company will, and will cause each of its Subs