INFORMATION ON MEDIA CREDENTIALS FOR THE 2008 SEC FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Members of the media can apply for media credentials online for the 2008 Southeastern Conference Football Championship Game at www.secsportsmedia.com starting at noon ET on Monday, Oct. 27.

Media outlets planning to cover the 2008 SEC Championship Football Game regardless of the participating teams should complete and submit the registration form via the online system to the SEC Media Relations Department by November 8, 2008. Once the teams have been named, media will have ample time to request credentials online with the final deadline for applications being Monday, December 1, 2008 at 5 p.m. (CST).

The online credentialer is on the SEC's official media website, www.secsportsmedia.com.Members of the media will need to register with their email addresses to reach the site. Once on the site, click the SEC link on the left to display the credentials menu. On the final page of the credentialing process, you can click on the link for the hotel reservation form at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta (media hotel) as well as the form to order a telephone line at the Georgia Dome.

The SEC's official media website, www.secsportsmedia.com , contains the latest conference and institutional releases as well as statistics, photos, logos and notes
from the 20-sponsored league sports.

Please read the following credential policy carefully before clicking the link at the bottom of this page.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME MEDIA CREDENTIAL POLICY

Credential requests will be considered only for authorized full-time, salaried representatives. Prior to the determination of the participating teams, requests for more than two credentials (one media and one photo) will be accepted from wire services and outlets at the site of the competition.

Parking passes are available on a limited basis. For media staying at the Hyatt, there will be a shuttle that leaves for the Georgia Dome every 30 minutes before the game and returns to the Hyatt every 15 minutes following the game. There will be NO parking passes given to media staying at the Hyatt.

Subject to limitations of space, credentials will be assigned to accredited media in accordance with the following general priorities:

1. Media outlets which have regularly covered SEC football during the season.

2. Media outlets which have covered ALL games of a participating team.

3. Media outlets at the game site which regularly cover SEC football on a regional basis.

4. Media outlets which have covered all HOME games of a participating team.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Subject to limitations of space, credentials at the SEC Football Championship Game shall be assigned in accordance with the following
policies:

PRINT

Separate publications sharing common ownership may not be combined for purposes of meeting circulation or other criteria. A credential may be issued only to an authorized full-time, salaried representative of, or a representative who regularly and customarily performs services for, such an entity. Credentials are non-transferable.

To be eligible for media credentials for the SEC Football Championship Game, the following criteria are set:

1. A news agency, regardless of circulation, that has staffed at least 80 percent of the home games of a participating institution throughout the season. This includes newspapers or other periodicals specifically designed to cover the activities and events of a single institution.
Each news agency of a participating institution must go through the participating team's SID for credentialing. The SID is instructed not to approve a credential request that is two over the normal credential request for a regular season home football game.

2. Any press agency with a minimum daily circulation of 20,000 to 49,999 shall be accredited for one working press credential. Other press agencies may receive more than one credential according to the following circulation requirements: 50,000 - 99,999 - Two Seats 100, 000 - 499,999 - Three Seats 500,000 and above - Four Seats

3. The Associated Press and the primary newspaper that provide daily coverage for the host site of the SEC Football Championship Game each may receive a maximum of eight seats.

4. A national weekly publication that has a circulation between 500,000 and three million and a national monthly publication with a circulation of 750,000 and three million each may receive one seat. Publications that have a minimum circulation of three million may receive a maximum of two seats. A weekly/monthly that does not meet these criteria or the criteria that govern media agencies of the host and participating teams does not qualify for credentials.

A. A specialty publication that covers college football or sports in the host site of the SEC Football Championship Game and does not meet the criteria listed above may be eligible for one credential at the discretion of the host media director.

B. A specialty publication that covers exclusively a participating institution will be eligible for one credential at the approval of the participating SID.

5. At the media director's discretion, no more than two credentials may be issued to a reporter(s) representing the news side of the major newspaper of the participating institution or host site of the SEC Football Championship Game.

PRINT PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sports editors shall request all photography credentials. Most media agencies will be limited to a maximum of two credentials. "Immediate news coverage" for purposes of these criteria shall mean that the editorial, audio and/or visual deadline for the SEC Football Championship Game action being documented occurs no later than 24 hours after the completion at the game.

Subject to limitations of space, photography credentials shall be assigned to agencies requiring immediate news coverage in accordance with the following priorities:

1. Three photographers, certified by participating institution's SID, who will be the sole representatives of all media organizations affiliated with any such institution and all media organizations whose coverage primarily is directed by such institution and its activites.

2. The primary press agency at the host site of the SEC Football Championship Game that cover college football on a regular basis may receive a maximum of four credentials.

3. The Associated Press may receive eight credentials. All Sports Photo, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, Reuters and Knight-Ridder each may receive three credentials.

4. Any press agency with a minimum daily circulation of 20,000 to 49,999 shall be accredited for one working photo credential. Other press agencies may receive more than one credential according to the following circulation requirements:

50,000 - 99,999 - Two Credentials
100, 000 and above - Three Credentials

5. A news agency, regardless of circulation, that has staffed at least 80 percent of the home games of a participating institution throughout the season. This includes newspapers or other periodicals specifically designed to cover the activities and events of a single institution.
Each news agency of a participating institution must go through the participating team's SID for credentialing. The SID is instructed not to approve a credential request that is two over the normal credential request for a regular season home football game.

6. A press agency with a weekly circulation of 200,000, or a monthly circulation of one million may receive one credential.

COURIERS

Courier credentials will be available to news agencies using print photography for "immediate news coverage." These will be given at the discretion of the host media director.

TELEVISION

1. Television stations from the locale of the SEC Football Championship Game, which each may be represented by two crews if it is representing multiple, regularly scheduled news programs. A crew is defined to include two talent (press areas only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.

2. Television stations from the locale of the participating institution that have staffed at least 80 percent of its home games, which each may be represented by one crew. A crew is defined to include two talent (press areas only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium. A second crew will be allowed to do fan-interest stories only and may not be allowed on field level during the game.

3. An individual or one crew designated by a national television network, which may include separate requests from the sports, news, entertainment and affiliate divisions, or cable system that originates a daily sports news program. [ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX, CNN] A crew is defined to include two talent (press areas only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.

4. A television station in a market area estimated to have a minimum of one million U.S. television households the previous year by the A.C.
Nielsen Company, which may be represented by one crew. A crew is defined to include two talent (press areas only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.

5. No more than two credentials may be authorized to other news services that have news and sports programming at the discretion of the host media director.

RADIO

1. National and regional radio networks may be authorized to have two credentials at the discretion of the host media director.

2. One credential may be assigned to a radio station with a full-time sports director in a market area representing at last 250,000 radio homes that regularly (10 or more) originates college football games or a daily "sports talk" program.

3. One credential may be assigned to a radio station with a full-time sports director in the geographic area of the host site of the SEC Football Championship Game or a participating team that regularly (10 or
more) originates college football games and a daily "sports talk"
program.

4. Each radio station that has purchased live broadcasting rights is limited to the number of individuals required to originate all of its home games during the regular season, up to a maximum of eight credentials.

INTERNET

1. Official athletic department internet sites of the participating schools (as determined by the Media Relations Director) are eligible to apply for credentials.

2. The internet site of CBS Sports, the official online service of the national network that is televising the game, will receive credentials in accordance with conference contractual obligations.

3. One credential may be assigned to a website that is affiliated with a national media of another form (i.e., network, newspaper, etc.).

4. Other internet sites must meet each of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for credentials and access as determined on a space available basis.

Web site must be a legal, corporate entity.
Web site must provide daily coverage of one of the participating schools with its own full-time staff of reporters, photographers and equipment.
Web site must travel to and cover all football away games and all major post-season events.
Web site must be accredited by each participating institution as working media.

INTERNATIONAL MEDIA
1. When space is available, credentials will be issued to a full-time, salaried employee or a representative who regularly and customarily performs services, for:

A. A newspaper that has a minimum circulation of five percent of the total population of the country;

B. A specialty publication that has a minimum circulation of one percent of the total population of the country;

C. The official publication of the country's football organization;

D. A television station that has a signal reaching 25 percent of the homes in the country;

E. Each of the two largest sports networks in the country, and

F. A photography position for the respective media agency above.