FANU.com BECOMES THE NEW HOME FOR COLLEGE SPORTS FANS.  ALLTEL WIRELESS SIGNS AS PRIMARY SPONSOR

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (October 1, 2007) -- It’s autumn in America and college sports fans’ fancy turns to quarterbacks, running backs and….smackbacks?  The kickoff of the 2007 college football season also marks the launch of www.FanU.com, a free, all-attitude, no-platitude web site with content generated by and for fans passionate about college sports.  Alltel Wireless, America’s largest network giving coverage across the country, will serve as the site’s title sponsor.

One of the most exciting features of the site is the weekly “Alltel Wireless FanU Poll,” which ranks the top 25 college football teams.  For the first time, fans will have a say in the voting, as they choose which teams should rise and fall in the poll each week throughout the college football season. 

“FanU was created to be the voice of college sports fans, something we feel has largely been absent from the interactive media landscape until now,” said Gordon Whitener, CEO of Knoxville-based Action Sports Media, the company behind the new site.  “FanU is a next generation social networking site where fans can fly their colors, talk trash, join with friends, take on rivals and track their team on their own terms. The site will provide a one-stop destination for fans to follow their favorite school throughout the year – from the opening weekend of college football to the excitement of college basketball’s post season and all the way through college baseball’s premiere event in Omaha.”

The site features numerous interactive elements including:

• An interactive toolbar that houses everything the user has collected on his/her customizable “Profile Page” is created upon registering including friends, teams, groups, polls, video and photos as well as FanU “Smackback” icons – a bomb designed for ‘dissing’ and a star for applause – which can be dragged and dropped on any posting or story for rating and comments
• The ability to utilize the site as a social networking tool to connect with other fans and rivals
• Customizable content including selected AP news feeds, stats, comprehensive sports editorials and team-specific/fan-generated content. In addition, FanU.com has columnists covering each team, providing an unrivaled level of editorial insight; and special NCAA conference previews authored by coaches across the country

• Hundreds of user created blogs discussing the latest news and views for all NCAA FBS (formerly Division I-A) or FCS (formerly I-AA) schools
• A wide range of polls to gauge the opinions of users on the top topics of the day
• A “See Who’s Online” tool, allowing fans to easily find each other and their opponents by sorting via state, team, zip code or event

“This site is for anyone who’s ever painted their face, shouted themselves hoarse, knows the game schedule three years in advance and looks forward to the holidays because that means it’s bowl season,” said Whitener.  “If you live for game day, you will love FanU.com.”

“We’ve created an unprecedented online experience for the passionate college sports fan, and we wanted to be able to offer it for free,” Whitener explained.  “Alltel Wireless is making that happen by stepping up as FanU.com’s primary sponsor.  Alltel is known for providing its customers with choice and control in their wireless experience, and with FanU’s goal of giving fans a truly unique and customizable online sports experience, it was a perfect match.”

“Alltel strives to bring unique experiences to college sports fans and our sponsorship of FanU is another great way to support that passion,” said Laura Cook, senior vice president of marketing communications for Alltel Wireless.  “As a proud sponsor of collegiate teams across the country, we’re thrilled to be a part of FanU to provide this rich social networking environment for college sports fans to interact and truly engage with one another.”

Action Sports Media (ASM) is a full service marketing company specializing in collegiate sports game day multimedia. Comprised of 10 leading NCAA universities and 22 collegiate venues across the United States, ASM was founded in 1997 to meet the increasing need for sales and marketing expertise in college athletics. Additional information about the company and its subsidiaries, including SoundDirector, Varsity Sports Media, Big Orange Army, bLinc Sports and 1180 AM Knoxville, is available at www.actionsportsmedia.com or by calling 865-379-0625.  Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, Action Sports Media is a privately held company whose principal investor is Parallel Investment Partners, a Dallas-based private equity firm that invests in growing, entrepreneurially led U.S. companies.  Parallel (www.parallelip.com) has offices in Dallas and Los Angeles.

Alltel (NYSE: AT) is owner and operator of the nation's largest wireless network and has 12 million customers. For more information about Alltel, please visit www.alltel.com.