Wal-Mart Awarded Second Annual The Crown Award for Responsible Advertising Presented by Hallmark Channel and Parents Television Council

Wal-Mart Awarded Second Annual "The Crown Award" for Responsible Advertising Presented by Hallmark Channel and Parents Television Council

Wal-Mart Recognized For Leadership, Integrity and Responsible Corporate Citizenship

BENTONVILLE, ARK. - Wal-Mart will be the second annual recipient of �The Crown Award� for responsibility in advertising, presented by Hallmark Channel and the Parents Television Council. The award was presented by Bill Abbott, Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales, Hallmark Channel and Tim Winter, President, Parents Television Council (PTC) on October 1 at Wal-Mart�s Arkansas headquarters. Wal-Mart was presented with the award because the company has committed to a policy of only sponsoring family-friendly programming through their advertising.

Hallmark Channel, the nation�s leader in family-friendly programming and PTC, the nation's most influential advocacy organization protecting children against sex, violence and profanity in entertainment partnered to create this award in 2007. The award is bestowed annually to an advertiser who exhibits leadership, integrity and responsible corporate citizenship.

�Wal-Mart is one of America�s most well-known brands servicing families through its many community-focused programs, including affordable prescription drugs, a commitment to renewable energy, college scholarships and voter registration,� said Abbott. �The company promotes these socially-conscious programs by reaching into the lives of its consumers via responsible advertising, on both a national and local level, and remaining committed to its patrons, which is why they were a natural selection to receive the second-annual Crown Award.�

�In addition to being the world�s largest retailer, Wal-Mart has established itself as the single most trustworthy retailer for parents and families. On behalf of the PTC and its growing grassroots membership which now exceeds 1.3 million members, it is an honor and a pleasure to join with the Hallmark Channel to recognize a corporation that is committed to responsible advertising practices. Wal-Mart has implemented a policy for sponsoring media content that will not shock or offend families, and their actions have demonstrated a clear commitment to that policy. We are grateful for their extraordinary leadership, and we hope that other corporate advertisers will take notice and follow their lead,� said PTC President Tim Winter.

To speak with a representative from the Parents Television Council, please contact Kelly Oliver (ext. 140) or Megan Franko (ext. 148) at (703) 683-5004.

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 85 million subscribers. The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,450 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country. Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Prime Time and Total Day household ratings and is the nation�s leading network in providing quality family programming. Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel which plays the greatest family movies of all time, Hallmark Movie Channel, and launched Hallmark Movie Channel HD in April, 2008.

For more information, please visit www.hallmarkchannelpress.com.

The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®) is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment. It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence and profanity on television and in other media. This national grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters, networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex, violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices for their own families.