LITTLE ROCK, Ark., Aug. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Equity Media Holdings Corp. (Nasdaq:EMDA) (the "Company") today announced the appointment of Jacob Barker and Paul Brissette to the Company's Board of Directors.
Mr. Barker founded Barker Capital, LLC in 2002. Barker Capital focuses on both principal investments and investment banking services for media companies in the lower middle market. Mr. Barker began his career as a high yield analyst for Fidelity Management & Research, where one of his focus areas was media. Prior to founding Barker Capital, Mr. Barker was the senior high yield media analyst for Toronto Dominion ("TD") Securities. He also worked in a similar capacity for NationsBank Montgomery Securities (a predecessor of Bank of America Securities). While at TD, Mr. Barker extended the scope of his credit research to include syndicated bank loans. Mr. Barker earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Tufts University.
Paul Brissette has served as Chairman of the Board, President and CEO of Piedmont Television Corporation since January 2002. For over 50 years, Mr. Brissette has served as an investor, owner and operator of various television stations across the United States. Mr. Brissette entered the television business with WWLP-TV in 1956, and his industry experience includes Brissette Broadcasting and Adams Communications, station groups which he exited after having improved their profitability through increasing sales and cost-cutting. Mr. Brissette has owned and operated over 30 television stations during his career. Mr. Brissette is a veteran of the U.S. Army, received his B.S. in Business from Holy Cross College and attended Western New England Law School.
Richard C. Rochon, Chairman of the Board of the Company, stated, "I am very pleased to have Jacob Barker and Paul Brissette join our Board of Directors. We believe their extensive and diverse backgrounds in the media industry will serve as a great asset to our Board as the Company further develops and pursues its strategies."
About Equity Media Holdings Corporation
Equity Media Holdings Corporation is a broadcaster with multiple sources of revenue and value in its operations that include its Broadcast Services Division, Broadcast Station Group and Spectrum Holdings Division. Equity Media's proprietary Centralized Automated Satellite Hub (C.A.S.H.) system provides centralized content distribution services which Equity Media believes are unique within the media industry. Equity Media is the second largest affiliate group of the top ranked Univision and TeleFutura networks, two networks driven by the growth of the Hispanic population in the U.S. For more information, please visit www.EMDAholdings.com.