Ball Park Signs on to Sponsor AST Dew Tour

All Founding Partners Returning For Third Year

NEW YORK – May 7, 2007 – The AST Dew Tour, the world's premier season-long action sports tour, today announced that Ball Park Franks has signed on as an associate partner of the AST Dew Tour.

As associate partner, Ball Park receives Tour-wide category exclusivity and fully integrated marketing benefits, television ads, print promotion, event signage and branding, online assets, grassroots marketing elements, hospitality, and inclusion in the Tour’s multi-million dollar marketing campaign. 

"We are pleased to add Ball Park to our roster of partners,” said Wade Martin, President and General Manager of the AST Dew Tour.  “We believe it is a great fit and are excited about the many opportunities the relationship provides to market and promote the Tour and the Ball Park brand."

"The AST Dew Tour is one of the most action-packed and innovative events in the country," said Steve Clapp, vice president Ball Park brand.  "Leveraging an important summer tour such as this is particularly exciting for us as we look to expand our consumer reach and solidify Ball Park hot dogs as the must-have hot dog for hungry Dew Tour fans.”

Ball Park will be joining Verizon Wireless, Slim Jim, MasterCard, and Mongoose as an associate sponsor.  In addition to the signing of Ball Park, all five event title sponsors will be returning for the 2007 AST Dew Tour season: Panasonic, Right Guard, Vans®, Toyota, and PlayStation®.  All of the title sponsors have been a part of the Tour since its inaugural season in 2005.

Entering its third year, the AST Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world.  Attendance for the 2006 AST Dew Tour totaled nearly 250,000 and an average of 39 million viewers tuned in via NBC and USA each year.  The top athletes in the world will take part in this year’s Tour, all competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup which will be awarded in Orlando at season’s end to champions in each of the six disciplines.  The 2006 Dew Cup winners include Nate Adams (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Anthony Napolitan (BMX Dirt), Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), Bucky Lasek (Skateboard Vert) and Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Park). 

The complete 2007 AST Dew Tour schedule is as follows:

Event                           Date                             Location

Panasonic Open            June 21-24                    Baltimore, Md.—Camden Yards Sports Complex

Right Guard Open         July 19-22                     Cleveland, Ohio—North Coast Harbor

Vans® Invitational          Aug. 16-19                    Portland, Ore.—Rose Quarter

Toyota Challenge          Sept. 20-23                   Salt Lake City, Utah—Energy Solutions Arena 

PlayStation® Pro           Oct. 18-21                     Orlando, Fla.—Amway Arena

The AST Dew Tour
Owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation, the AST Dew Tour, the world's premier season-long action sports tour, debuted in June 2005 and consists of five major, multi-sport events with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse - the largest in action sports - and an additional $1 million bonus pool based upon year-end standings. NBC and USA Network combine for exclusive AST Dew Tour coverage with the largest combined network and cable commitment in action sports. The AST Dew Tour is distributed in over 230 million homes worldwide and in over 100 countries. The Tour features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross, and at season’s end, the Tour awards champions in the six disciplines with the Dew Cup.  Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event include the festival village with video gaming and interactive events, as well as live cutting edge music. The AST Dew Tour returns all of its founding partners including Mountain Dew (tour title sponsor); and Panasonic, Right Guard Xtreme, Vans®, Toyota and PlayStation® (event title sponsors).  Associate partners include MasterCard, Mongoose®, Slim Jim and Verizon Wireless. More information can be found at www.astdewtour.com.

NBC Universal
NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.

Live Nation
Live Nation is the world’s leading live music company, annually connecting more than 67 million fans with their favorite performers at over 33,000 events.  We are the largest producer of live concerts in the world, the second-largest venue management company and have a rapidly growing online presence.  Live Nation creates superior experiences for artists and fans, regularly producing tours for the biggest superstars in the business, including The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Madonna, U2 and Coldplay.  Globally, we own, operate and/or have booking rights for more than 170 venues, including House of Blues-branded music venues and prestigious locations such as San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium, Nikon at Jones Beach in New York and London’s Hammersmith Apollo and Wembley Arena.  Live Nation’s websites collectively are the second most popular entertainment event websites in the United States, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.  Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Live Nation is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, trading under the symbol “LYV.”  For more information regarding concerts near you, Live Nation and its businesses, please visit our website at www.LiveNation.com.

About Ball Park
The Ball Park brand was launched in 1957 in response to a request from the owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team.  The Ball Park frank was such a success, it was expanded nationally.  Today, Ball Park products can be found in supermarkets, convenience stores and a variety of baseball parks – including Detroit’s Comerica Park.  For more information, visit www.ballparkfranks.com.