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Wal-Mart TV Network to Air Election Night Returns

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Those out shopping at Wal-Mart tomorrow night won't miss a minute of the latest presidential election results -- all the news will be unfolding live on the mega-retailer's TV screens.

PRN Corp., operator of the largest in-store television network in the United States, based on the number of consumers reached each month, said Friday that its wholly owned subsidiary Premier Retail Networks, Inc. has joined with FOX News Channel, a 24-hour news network, to carry live coverage of the election on the Wal-Mart Television Network.

The broadcast, part of PRN's existing partnership with FOX News Channel for covering breaking news and special events, will air in more than 2,620 Wal-Mart locations across the country.

PRN Corp. chairman and c.e.o. Charlie Nooney said in a statement: "We are pleased to be working with FOX News Channel to bring their live coverage of this very tight presidential election to both Wal-Mart's shoppers and associates nationwide. We are always looking for new ways to keep shoppers and associates informed with content that is relevant, and this is a great opportunity to do that."

San Francisco-based PRN works with retailers and advertisers to create in-store television programming that includes entertainment, news, product information, advertising, and community content. Retailers carrying the PRN Network include Costco, Ralphs, Sam's Club, and Wal-Mart. Based on information provided by several third-party research firms and retailers, PRN estimates that the PRN Network has over 150 million gross impressions each month.

In other Wal-Mart news, this autumn the first Sam's Club location will feature electronic product code (EPC) capabilities. The store, located at the southwest corner of Highway 121 and Ohio Drive in Plano, Texas, will be the company's first retail facility beside its Wal-Mart supercenters to use the technology.

Wal-Mart first announced its EPC initiative in June 2003. The retailer said then that the first phase of implementation would involve its top 100 suppliers tagging cases and pallets of products headed to three Dallas/Fort Worth area distribution centers, starting in January 2005. Since then, over 30 suppliers have voluntarily asked to meet that same deadline. The primary consumer benefit expected during initial EPC adoption is better merchandise availability.

As part of the initial implementation, by January 2005 Wal-Mart will expand to three the number of EPC-equipped distribution centers in North Texas. At the same time, it will also increase the number of participating stores from seven to over 130. Most of these will be in North Texas, with others in the South Central Oklahoma region.
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