Erie County Book First of 500 Directories Published By Bell Atlantic Following Merger With NYNEX

Erie County Book First of 500 Directories Published By Bell Atlantic Following Merger With NYNEX

Buffalo Niagara International Airport Chosen for Cover Illustration

September 15, 1997

Buffalo, N.Y. -- The Erie County/Buffalo, N.Y., White and Yellow Pages

book is the first of 500 directories in the eastern United States to

carry the new Bell Atlantic logo, as well as the illustrative

local-landmark signature of the former NYNEX directories. The new Bell

Atlantic was formed through the recent merger of Bell Atlantic and

NYNEX.

The cover design depicting an illustration of the soon-to-be-opened

Buffalo Niagara International Airport terminal was displayed in a

ceremony prior to the monthly board meeting of the Niagara Frontier

Transportation Authority (NFTA), owners and operators of the airport.

"We are honored that the terminal to open October 31 at the Buffalo

Niagara International Airport was chosen as the representative

landmark for the cover of the 1997-1998 Bell Atlantic Erie County

directories," said Robert D. Gioia, chairman, NFTA. "Buffalo and Erie

County residents and businesses are pleased to receive the first

directories published that reflect the new Bell Atlantic family."

The design for the directory covers includes the Bell Atlantic logo

presented for the first time on August 15 at the Bell Atlantic merger

ceremony. For each local directory, New Paltz, N.Y.-based artist,

Mary Lynn Blasutta, illustrates a regional landmark for the cover.

Her distinctive, community-focused illustrations are well known to the

millions of residents of New York and New England who received NYNEX

directories.

"Bell Atlantic has grown because we serve the communications and

advertising needs of our customers -- and that always starts with where

people live and work," said Robert A. Graham, president and chief

executive officer of Bell Atlantic Directory Services. "The Bell

Atlantic directory reflects our belief in providing local information

and services that allow for global access; such as Bell Atlantic's

BigYellowSM shopping and directory World Wide Web-based service. The

Buffalo Niagara International Airport signifies the same credo of

growth, service and customer orientation."

Distribution of the Bell Atlantic White and Yellow Pages Erie County

directories began September 9 and will continue through October. More

than 675,000 directories will be distributed to residents and

businesses in the greater Buffalo area. Each book will have a peel-off

label that reads "NYNEX is Turning Over a New Leaf" with the Niagara

Buffalo International Airport terminal illustration shown beneath the

label. The Erie County 1997-1998 directories mark the first of the

merged Bell Atlantic that serves 13 states and Washington, D. C.

The new Bell Atlantic (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new

communications, information and entertainment industry. With 40

million telephone access lines and 5.5 million wireless customers

worldwide, the corporation -- formed through the merger of Bell

Atlantic and NYNEX -- is the premier provider of advanced wireline

voice and data service in the eastern United States and a market

leader in wireless services. Bell Atlantic also is the world's

largest provider of directory information and one of the world's

largest investors in high-growth global communications markets, with

operations and investments in 21 countries.