Taco Bell Foundation for Teens

EXTREME BROADCASTING: LOCAL YOUTHS TO SQUARE OFF IN
TACO BELL® TEEN REPORTER CHALLENGE

Teens Have to “Think Outside the Bun” to Win Internships at Local Television, Radio Stations

(ATLANTA) May 16, 2007—High school students looking to experience a behind-the-scenes media broadcast internship this summer need to sharpen their pencils and put on their reporter hats. The Taco Bell Foundation and Atlanta area Boys & Girls Clubs are accepting entries from local teens for the “Taco Bell® Teen Reporter Challenge” to win summer internships at WXIA-TV, channel 11, and WQXI-AM Sports Radio, 790 The Zone.

The contest is open to Atlanta area teens between the ages of 16 and 18 years old. All applicants must be Boys & Girls Club members or have submitted a Boys & Girls Club membership application by the contest deadline. Applicants are asked to apply online at www.teenreporterchallenge.com by submitting an essay of 50 words or less explaining “Why I want to be a teen reporter.” Entries to the contest must be submitted by 5 p.m. EDT, Monday, June 4, 2007.

Based on their essays, 10 finalists will be invited to Six Flags Over Georgia, to participate in the Taco Bell® Teen Reporter Challenge Finals, which begin at 10:30 a.m., June 21. The finalists will conduct a series of broadcast tasks in front of a live audience of their peers with WHTA-FM’s morning show host, Griff, serving as emcee.

A panel of local celebrities will judge the final competition based on three news-reporting challenges:
• Writing: Each contestant will be judged on the creativity, spelling and grammar, and clarity of expression of their written essay submitted for the Challenge
• Interviewing: The finalists will conduct a sit-down interview session
• Reporting: The young reporters will provide an on-camera weather report
The deserving first place winner will receive a one-week internship with WXIA-TV gaining hands-on experience putting together its daily Atlanta & Company morning show. Additionally, the WXIA intern will write daily entries for 11Alive.com News Blog. The second place winner will be offered a one-day glimpse into the radio world at WQXI-AM, Sports Radio 790 The Zone. This lucky intern will help The Zone write, record and produce its “Outside the Bun” segment with an Atlanta Braves player.
“According to the Manhattan Institute, Georgia has the lowest graduation rate in the U.S. with only 56 percent of public school students graduating from high school,” said Patrick Mulkey, Taco Bell franchisee and president of the Atlanta Taco Bell Owners Association. “Research has shown that Boys & Girls Clubs help keep teens safe, in school and on the road to a productive life. This Teen Reporter Challenge shows students the positive end result of their academic efforts and we hope it serves as the motivation they need to stay in school and perform to their maximum potential.”

In celebration of the Teen Reporter Challenge, the Taco Bell Foundation will be awarding the Atlanta area Boys & Girls Clubs with a $100,000 grant. Funding will be used to support field trips geared for teens, including college and career tours, cultural trips, and community service projects.

As part of the grant, 1,100 teens will enjoy a field trip to Six Flags Over Georgia and enjoy the final round of the Taco Bell® Teen Reporter Challenge.

The Taco Bell Foundation grant was made possible through local customer and employee donations. Since 2003, Atlanta area Taco Bell restaurants have raised more than $500,000 to support local Boys & Girls Clubs teen programs.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) comprises a national network of some 4,000 neighborhood-based facilities annually serving more than 4.6 million young people, in all 50 states and on U.S. military bases worldwide. Known as “The Positive Place for Kids,” the Clubs provide guidance-oriented character development programs on a daily basis for children 6-18 years old, conducted by a full-time professional staff. Key Boys & Girls Club programs emphasize leadership development, education and career exploration, financial literacy, health and life skills, the arts, sports, fitness and recreation, and family outreach. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

About Taco Bell Corp.
Taco Bell Corp., a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., (NYSE: YUM), is the nation’s leading Mexican-style quick service restaurant chain serving tacos, burritos, signature Quesadillas, Border Bowls®, nachos and other specialty items. Taco Bell serves more than 35 million consumers each week in more than 6,500 restaurants in the U.S. "Think Outside the Bun®" and visit www.tacobell.com.

About the Taco Bell Foundation
The Taco Bell Foundation, a non-profit 501(c) 3 corporation, has raised more than $17 million to support teen programs at Boys & Girls Clubs of America since 1995 with the help of on-going customer, franchisee and employee donations. As the largest supporter of teens at Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide, the Taco Bell Foundation has helped develop Club initiatives to provide youth with educational support, mentoring, job training, and counseling to develop leadership skills, character and values. More than one million teens are impacted through these programs each year. For more information about the Taco Bell Foundation, visit www.tacobell.com.