WINTER PARK, Fla., May 15, 2007 -- Full Sail Real World Education and ACME Communications (Nasdaq:ACME) announced today that The Daily Buzz, ACME's leading nationally syndicated morning show, will move to the Full Sail campus in Winter Park, Florida beginning June 2007. As part of the relocation from its original location in Orlando, The Daily Buzz will move to a new facility with state-of-the-art technology on the Full Sail campus.
Launched in 2002, The Daily Buzz is a three-hour morning news program that has successfully become an alternative to the common older-skewing network news and paid programs. The Daily Buzz reaches a much younger demographic (18-49 year olds) and currently airs on 144 stations, including all of ACME's CW Network affiliated stations, The CW 100+ Cable Group, and many of the CBS-owned CW stations. The program reaches approximately 39 percent of U.S. households, or 44 million television households.
"The Daily Buzz is succeeding in changing the way typical morning news programs are produced and delivered, while providing stations with new and better inventory for advertisers," said Doug Gealy, President and Chief Operating Officer of ACME Communications. "That mission has remained unchanged and our ongoing commitment to the show is reflected, after a national search for a new facility, in our decision to move to Full Sail, a dynamic and creative epicenter in Central Florida. We look forward to settling into our new facility and expect a long and fruitful relationship with Full Sail."
"We greatly appreciate that The Daily Buzz and ACME Communications values the education of young professionals. Having The Daily Buzz on the Full Sail campus brings numerous opportunities to our students each day," said Ken Goldstone, Chief Operating Officer for Full Sail. "The ability for students to participate in the production of a successful nationally televised live broadcast is invaluable and is consistent with our real world education philosophy."
"This is a great move for the state," Paul Sirmons, Florida's film commissioner in Governor Charlie Crist's office, further added. "We not only get a very popular, nationally syndicated TV show to remain in Central Florida, but students at Full Sail get hands-on experience. That kind of credit on a resume will really help those students once they graduate. It's truly a win-win situation."
About ACME Communications:
ACME Communications, Inc. owns and operates seven television stations serving markets covering 2.6% of the nation's television households. The Company's stations are: KWBQ-TV and KASY-TV, Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM; WBDT- TV, Dayton, OH; WBXX-TV, Knoxville, TN; WIWB-TV, Green Bay-Appleton, WI; WBUI- TV, Champaign-Springfield-Decatur, IL and WBUW-TV, Madison, WI. All of the Company's stations, except KASY-TV, a MyNetworkTV affiliate, are affiliates of The CW Network. ACME's shares are traded on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol: ACME.
About Full Sail:
Since 1979, Full Sail Real World Education, a college outside of Orlando, FL, has been an innovative educational leader for those pursuing careers in the entertainment industry. With over 25,000 alumni, graduate credits include work on Oscar, Emmy and GRAMMY-winning projects, best-selling video games, and the #1 grossing U.S. concert tour seven out of the last seven years. Full Sail's 178-acre campus proudly welcomes over 5,000 students from 50 states and 37 countries. Currently, Full Sail offers degrees in the following disciplines: Master of Science Degree in Entertainment Business; Bachelor of Science Degrees in Computer Animation, Digital Arts & Design, Film, Game Development and Music Business; Associate of Science Degrees in Graphic Design, Recording Arts and Show Production & Touring.
Students experience a "real world" education with a professional class structure of 8-12 hours per day and a 24-hour around the clock schedule which earned Full Sail the "Most Innovative Program" Award by the Florida Association of Postsecondary Schools and Colleges. The college has also been named: "The Harvard of Game Schools" by Tips & Tricks Magazine; one of the top three "New Media Schools" by Shift Magazine (alongside the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University); one of the Top Five Game Degree Programs in the world by Electronic Gaming Monthly; one of the "Best Music Programs" in the country by Rolling Stone Magazine; one of the "Best Music Business Departments" in the Schools That Rock: The Rolling Stone College Guide; and one of the Best Film Programs in the country by UNleashed Magazine.
For more information about Full Sail, please visit www.fullsail.com.