Providence Equity Partners

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Providence Equity Partners
Type Limited liability company
Founded 1989
Headquarters Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Key people Jonathan M. Nelson, CEO
Raymond M. Mathieu, CFO
Industry Financial services
Services Private equity
Employees 350
Subsidiaries Newport Television, LLC
Website www.provequity.com

Providence Equity Partners is a private equity firm headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island that focuses on investments in media and telecommunications. It is one of the largest private investment firms specializing in equity investments in media and communications companies, managing around $21 billion in equity capital.

The principals of Providence Equity manage funds with over $9 billion in equity commitments and have invested in more than 80 companies operating in over 20 countries since the firm's inception in 1991. Current and previous areas of investment include cable television content and distribution, wireless and wireline telephony, publishing, radio and television broadcasting and other media and communications sectors.

Significant investments include VoiceStream Wireless, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Music Group, Freedom Communications, PanAmSat, AT&T Canada, eircom, Ziggo, Kabel Deutschland, Telcordia Technologies, Language Line, F&W Publications, USIS, ProSiebenSat.1 (DE), Bresnan Broadband Holdings, The Phones 4U Group (UK) , Idea Cellular , CanalDigitaal (NL) and TV Vlaanderen (BE) Bell Canada.

The firm has offices in Providence, New York, and London.

Contents

[edit] Acquisitions

On June 30, 2007, BCE announced that the company entered into a definitive agreement for BCE to be acquired pursuant to a plan of arrangement by an investor group led by Teachers Private Capital, the private investment arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Providence Equity Partners Inc. and Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC (the "investor group"). The all-cash transaction is valued at C$51.7 billion (US$48.5 billion), including C$16.9 billion (US$15.9 billion) of debt, preferred equity and minority interests. The arrangement was approved on September 21, 2007 at a Special Meeting of shareholders by more than 97% of the votes cast by holders of common and preferred shares, voting as a single class.

[edit] Entertainment

On April 20, 2007, Providence Equity Partners entered into an agreement to acquire all of the television stations currently owned by Clear Channel Communications.[1] These stations will be operated through a newly formed holding company known as Newport Television, LLC.

The following stations are owned by Diamond Castle Holdings, L.L.C., but affiliated with Providence Equity Partners. Lamco was purchased by Bluestone Television in 2004 and Bluestone sold to Diamond Castle Holdings, L.L.C:

Current DMA# Market Station Current Affiliation Notes
91. Bristol, Virginia/Tri Cities, Virginia WCYB 5 NBC
WEMT 39 FOX
105. New Bern, North Carolina WCTI-TV 12 ABC
130. Redding/Chico/Red Bluff, California KRCR 7 ABC
KAEF 23 ABC (satellite, serves Eureka, California, market #195) Licensed to Arcata, California
164. Abilene, Texas KTXS-TV 12 ABC
167. Missoula, Montana KECI 13 NBC
KCFW 9 NBC (satellite of KECI for Kalispell, Montana)
194. Butte/Bozeman, Montana KTVM 6 NBC (satellite of KECI)

[edit] References

http://www.bce.ca/en/investors/shareholderinfo/privatization/

[edit] External links

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