TRACE ADKINS AND READER RABBIT TO PARTICIPATE IN BELLSOUTH SENIOR CLASSIC'S ANNUAL PAINT PARTY

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - April 17, 2002 - The BellSouth Senior Classic at Gaylord Opryland will hold its annual Paint Party on Tuesday, April 23 at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Langford Auditorium. Capitol recording artist Trace Adkins will host the event, and popular children's character Reader Rabbit from The Learning Company will make a special appearance.

"During the Paint Party, children from our BellSouth Senior Classic charities paint pictures that become the awards given away at the Trace Adkins Celebrity Kids Classic golf tournament, which is held the week of the BellSouth Senior Classic," said Amy Hawk, tournament director. "This event begins the countdown to our tournament week and is another way the BellSouth Senior Classic shows its commitment to making life better for children in Middle Tennessee."

Multi-platinum recording artist Trace Adkins, who had a recent Top 5 hit with "I'm Tryin,'" will not only play his guitar and sing with the children, he will also help the children paint the awards for his Celebrity Kids Classic golf tournament, held Sunday, June 9 at Springhouse Golf Club.

The charities for the 2002 BellSouth Senior Classic at Gaylord Opryland include Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Middle Tennessee Council Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scout Council of Cumberland Valley, Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee, Family & Children's Service and Tennessee Lions Charities. Children representing each of the charities will join Adkins in painting the awards.

"Last year was the first year I had the opportunity to host BellSouth's Paint Party at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, so I didn't really know what to expect," said Adkins. "But throughout the day, as I visited and painted with these special children, I found it to be one of the most heart-rendering experiences. Since then, I've been looking forward to being a part of this event once again, and will continue to do so as long as they'll have me. This event has truly become very near and dear to my heart."

Another special guest at the Paint Party will be Reader Rabbit. Children attending the Paint Party will meet Reader Rabbit, a well-loved character for more than 17-years and receive Reader Rabbit software donated by The Learning Company. Every child Trace Adkins visits in the Children's Hospital will also receive the software.

First introduced as early-learning reading software, today's Reader Rabbit titles span the entire curriculum, including reading, math, language arts, science and critical thinking. With more than 175 awards, the Reader Rabbit brand has become the educational software parents and teachers trust to educate young children.

The BellSouth Senior Classic at Gaylord Opryland, held June 9-16, is a premiere stop on the SENIOR PGA TOUR. The 9th annual tournament will be broadcast nationwide on CNBC and PAX networks. Since inception, the BellSouth Senior Classic at Gaylord Opryland has donated more than $1.6 million to Tennessee charities.

About BellSouth Corporation

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, GA, serving 46 million customers in the United States and 15 other countries.

Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a full array of broadband data and e-commerce solutions to business customers, including Web hosting and other Internet services. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also provides online and directory advertising services, including BellSouth® Real PagesSM.com.

BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless company, which provides innovative wireless data and voice services.

About Riverdeep Group plc

Riverdeep Group plc provides highly motivating, dynamic, curriculum-based Internet and CD-ROM learning experiences for the K-12 market. Riverdeep's products feature interactive problem-solving approaches and real-world applications that contribute to the depth of conceptual understanding. The Company also offers extensive online tools, support and professional development offerings via Riverdeep.net, helping educators integrate technology with curriculum and to assess and improve student performance. Riverdeep's science, math and language arts learning activities are correlated to national and state curriculum standards. These award-winning products, including Riverdeep's Destination MATH, Science Explorer, Science Gateways and Tangible MATH, are accessible via www.riverdeep.net and are available on CD-ROM for all major operating platforms. Recent additions to Riverdeep's product offerings include EdVantage's language arts courses, Edmark's early learning software and The Learning Company's offerings, which include Reader Rabbit, Carmen Sandiego, ClueFinders and Oregon Trail.

Riverdeep was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, with a U.S. headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. For more information, write to Riverdeep Interactive Learning, 125 Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge, Mass. 02140; call toll free to 800-564-2587; visit www.riverdeep.net; or send an email to info@riverdeep.net.

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For more information, contact:

Heather Middleton MERCATUS Communications (615) 254-6785 Kenny Blackburn BellSouth Corporation (615) 214-5904 For Trace Adkins Schatzi Hageman Hot Schatz Public Relations (615) 782-0078