Astral Appoints Jacques Parisien EVP and COO to Drive One-Company Strategy

MONTREAL, Dec. 9 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B) announced today the appointment of Jacques Parisien as Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Jacques Parisien will lead Astral's one-company focus and strategy.

"I am delighted to have a long-time colleague and seasoned Astral executive like Jacques accept this new position," said Astral President and CEO Ian Greenberg. "As we put a greater focus on our one-company strategy to drive effective organic growth, Jacques will spearhead our efforts to further unlock the full potential of our properties and bring additional value to advertisers and consumers."

Jacques Parisien, who joined Astral in 1994, has been Group President of Astral Radio and Out-of-Home since 2004. In his new capacity, he will lead the presidents of Astral's business units in overseeing the Company's operations and more efficiently coordinating activities to seize business opportunities across Astral's media portfolio.

"Each of Astral's business units has depth and operational strengths that can be better leveraged across the broader organization," said Jacques Parisien. "Through tighter and more strategic coordination, we expect to be able to capitalize on untapped revenue opportunities, capture advantages of scale and use our organization's resources more effectively. Greater collaboration will enhance our ability to leverage the scope and reach of our media properties and platforms to the greater benefit of our advertisers."

"Continued growth will require a concerted effort on several fronts over the next few years. Maintaining Astral's strong track record in terms of performance and growth is at the heart of my vision for the Company and for this appointment," added Greenberg. "Implementing our one-company strategy will be an important component of our Company's future success and our ability to deliver long-term growth."

The appointment of Jacques Parisien as EVP and COO will be effective January 1, 2011. He will also remain at the head of the Astral Radio group.

Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several of the country's most popular media properties in pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich, and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.

For further information:

Hugues Mousseau
Manager, Corporate Communications
Astral Media Inc.
514.939.5000
[email protected]