Exhibit 99.3
_____, 2001
EXCHANGE AGENT AGREEMENT
The Bank of New York
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx, Xxxxx 00 Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Attention: Corporate Trust Trustee Administration
Ladies and Gentlemen:
PRIMEDIA Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), proposes to make an
offer (the "Exchange Offer") to exchange all of its outstanding 8 7/8% Senior
Notes due 2011 (the "Outstanding Notes") for its 8 7/8% Senior Notes due 2011
(the "Exchange Notes"). The terms and conditions of the Exchange Offer as
currently contemplated are set forth in a prospectus, dated ____, 2001 (the
"Prospectus"), proposed to be distributed to all record holders of the
Outstanding Notes. The Outstanding Notes and the Exchange Notes are collectively
referred to herein as the "Notes".
The Company hereby appoints The Bank of New York to act as exchange
agent (the "Exchange Agent") in connection with the Exchange Offer. References
hereinafter to "you" shall refer to The Bank of New York.
The Exchange Offer is expected to be commenced by the Company on or
about ____, 2001. The Letter of Transmittal accompanying the Prospectus (or in
the case of book-entry securities, the Automated Tender Offer Program ("ATOP")
of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as defined below)) is to be used by the
holders of the Outstanding Notes to accept the Exchange Offer and contains
instructions with respect to the delivery of certificates for Outstanding Notes
tendered in connection therewith.
The Exchange Offer shall expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on
__, 2001 or on such subsequent date or time to which the Company may extend the
Exchange Offer (the "Expiration Date"). Subject to the terms and conditions set
forth in the Prospectus, the Company expressly reserves the right to extend the
Exchange Offer from time to time and may extend the Exchange Offer by giving
oral (promptly confirmed in writing) or written notice to you before 9:00 a.m.,
New York City time, on the business day following the previously scheduled
Expiration Date.
The Company expressly reserves the right to amend or terminate the
Exchange Offer, and not to accept for exchange any Outstanding Notes not
theretofore accepted for exchange, upon the occurrence of any of the conditions
of the Exchange
Offer specified in the Prospectus under the caption "The Exchange Offer--Certain
Conditions to the Exchange Offer." The Company will give oral (promptly
confirmed in writing) or written notice of any amendment, termination or
nonacceptance to you as promptly as practicable.
In carrying out your duties as Exchange Agent, you are to act in
accordance with the following instructions:
1. You will perform such duties and only such duties as are
specifically set forth in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The Exchange
Offer" or as specifically set forth herein; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in no way
will your general duty to act in good faith be discharged by the foregoing.
2. You will establish a book-entry account with respect to the
Outstanding Notes at The Depository Trust Company (the "Book-Entry Transfer
Facility") for purposes of the Exchange Offer within two business days after the
date of the Prospectus, and any financial institution that is a participant in
the Book-Entry Transfer Facility's systems may make book-entry delivery of the
Outstanding Notes by causing the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to transfer such
Outstanding Notes into your account in accordance with the Book-Entry Transfer
Facility's procedure for such transfer.
3. You are to examine each of the Letters of Transmittal and
certificates for Outstanding Notes (or confirmation of book-entry transfer into
your account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility) and any other documents
delivered or mailed to you by or for holders of the Outstanding Notes to
ascertain whether: (i) the Letters of Transmittal and any such other documents
are duly executed and properly completed in accordance with instructions set
forth therein; and (ii) the Outstanding Notes have otherwise been properly
tendered. In each case where the Letter of Transmittal or any other document has
been improperly completed or executed or any of the certificates for Outstanding
Notes are not in proper form for transfer or some other irregularity in
connection with the acceptance of the Exchange Offer exists, you will endeavor
to inform the presenters of the need for fulfillment of all requirements and to
take any other action as may be reasonably necessary or advisable to cause such
irregularity to be corrected.
4. With the approval of the President, Vice President, Chief
Financial Officer, Secretary or Treasurer (the "Authorized Officers") (such
approval, if given orally, to be promptly confirmed in writing) or any other
party designated in writing, by such an officer, you are authorized to waive any
irregularities in connection with any tender of Outstanding Notes pursuant to
the Exchange Offer.
5. Tenders of Outstanding Notes may be made only as set forth in the
Letter of Transmittal and in the section of the Prospectus captioned "The
Exchange
-2-
Offer--Procedures for Tendering", and Outstanding Notes shall be considered
properly tendered to you only when tendered in accordance with the procedures
set forth therein.
Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5, Outstanding Notes
which the Authorized Officers shall approve as having been properly tendered
shall be considered to be properly tendered (such approval, if given orally,
shall be promptly confirmed in writing).
6. You shall advise the Company with respect to any Outstanding
Notes received subsequent to the Expiration Date and accept its instructions
with respect to disposition of such Outstanding Notes.
7. You shall accept tenders:
(a) in cases where the Outstanding Notes are registered in two
or more names only if signed by all named holders;
(b) in cases where the signing person (as indicated on the
Letter of Transmittal) is acting in a fiduciary or a representative capacity
only when proper evidence of his or her authority so to act is submitted; and
(c) from persons other than the registered holder of
Outstanding Notes, provided that customary transfer requirements, including
payment of any applicable transfer taxes, are fulfilled.
You shall accept partial tenders of Outstanding Notes where so
indicated and as permitted in the Letter of Transmittal and deliver certificates
for Outstanding Notes to the registrar for split-up and return any untendered
Outstanding Notes to the holder (or such other person as may be designated in
the Letter of Transmittal) as promptly as practicable after expiration or
termination of the Exchange Offer.
8. Upon satisfaction or waiver of all of the conditions to the
Exchange Offer, the Company will notify you (such notice, if given orally, to be
promptly confirmed in writing) of its acceptance, promptly after the Expiration
Date, of all Outstanding Notes properly tendered and you, on behalf of the
Company, will exchange such Outstanding Notes for Exchange Notes and cause such
Outstanding Notes to be cancelled. Delivery of Exchange Notes will be made on
behalf of the Company by you at the rate of $1,000 principal amount of Exchange
Notes for each $1,000 principal amount of the corresponding series of
Outstanding Notes tendered promptly after notice (such notice if given orally,
to be promptly confirmed in writing) of acceptance of said Outstanding Notes by
the Company; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in all cases, Outstanding Notes tendered
pursuant to the Exchange Offer will be exchanged only after timely receipt by
you of certificates for such Outstanding Notes (or confirmation of book-entry
transfer into your account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility), a properly
completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or manually signed facsimile
thereof) with any
-3-
required signature guarantees and any other required documents. You shall issue
Exchange Notes only in denominations of $1,000 or any integral multiple thereof.
9. Tenders pursuant to the Exchange Offer are irrevocable, except
that, subject to the terms and upon the conditions set forth in the Prospectus
and the Letter of Transmittal, Outstanding Notes tendered pursuant to the
Exchange Offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date.
10. The Company shall not be required to exchange any Outstanding
Notes tendered if any of the conditions set forth in the Exchange Offer are not
met. Notice of any decision by the Company not to exchange any Outstanding Notes
tendered shall be given (if given orally, to be promptly confirmed in writing)
by the Company to you.
11. If, pursuant to the Exchange Offer, the Company does not
accept for exchange all or part of the Outstanding Notes tendered because of an
invalid tender, the occurrence of certain other events set forth in the
Prospectus under the caption "The Exchange Offer--Certain Conditions to the
Exchange Offer" or otherwise, you shall as soon as practicable after the
expiration or termination of the Exchange Offer return those certificates for
unaccepted Outstanding Notes (or effect appropriate book-entry transfer),
together with any related required documents and the Letters of Transmittal
relating thereto that are in your possession, to the persons who deposited them.
12. All certificates for reissued Outstanding Notes, unaccepted
Outstanding Notes or for Exchange Notes shall be forwarded by first-class mail.
13. You are not authorized to pay or offer to pay any concessions,
commissions or solicitation fees to any broker, dealer, bank or other persons or
to engage or utilize any person to solicit tenders.
14. As Exchange Agent hereunder you:
(a) shall not be liable for any action or omission to act
unless the same constitutes your own negligence, willful misconduct or bad
faith, and in no event shall you be liable to a securityholder, the Company or
any third party for special, indirect or consequential damages, or lost profits,
arising in connection with this Agreement;
(b) shall have no duties or obligations other than those
specifically set forth herein or as may be subsequently agreed to in writing
between you and the Company;
(c) will be regarded as making no representations and having
no responsibilities as to the validity, sufficiency, value or genuineness of any
of the certificates or the Outstanding Notes represented thereby deposited with
you pursuant to
-4-
the Exchange Offer, and will not be required to and will make no representation
as to the validity, value or genuineness of the Exchange Offer;
(d) shall not be obligated to take any legal action hereunder
which might in your judgment involve any expense or liability, unless you shall
have been furnished with indemnity satisfactory to you;
(e) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting
in reliance upon any certificate, instrument, opinion, notice, letter, telegram
or other document or security delivered to you and believed by you to be genuine
and to have been signed or presented by the proper person or persons;
(f) may act upon any tender, statement, request, document,
agreement, certificate or other instrument whatsoever not only as to its due
execution and validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the
truth and accuracy of any information contained therein, which you shall in good
faith believe to be genuine or to have been signed or presented by the proper
person or persons;
(g) may conclusively rely on and shall be protected in acting
upon written or oral instructions from any authorized officer of the Company;
(h) may consult with counsel of your selection with respect to
any questions relating to your duties and responsibilities and the advice or
opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection
in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by you hereunder
in good faith and in accordance with the advice or opinion of such counsel; and
(i) shall not advise any person tendering Outstanding Notes
pursuant to the Exchange Offer as to the wisdom of making such tender or as to
the market value or decline or appreciation in market value of any Outstanding
Notes.
15. You shall take such action as may from time to time be
requested by the Company (and such other action as you may deem appropriate) to
furnish copies of the Prospectus, Letter of Transmittal and the Notice of
Guaranteed Delivery (as defined in the Prospectus) or such other forms as may be
approved from time to time by the Company, to all persons requesting such
documents and to accept and comply with telephone requests for information
relating to the Exchange Offer, provided that such information shall relate only
to the procedures for accepting (or withdrawing from) the Exchange Offer. The
Company will furnish you with copies of such documents on your request. All
other requests for information relating to the Exchange Offer shall be directed
to the Company, Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx, Assistant General Counsel.
16. You shall advise by facsimile transmission Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx,
Assistant General Counsel (at the facsimile number (000) 000-0000), and such
other person or persons as the Company may request, daily (and more frequently
during the
-5-
week immediately preceding the Expiration Date if requested) up to and including
the Expiration Date, as to the number of Outstanding Notes which have been
tendered pursuant to the Exchange Offer and the items received by you pursuant
to this Agreement, separately reporting and giving cumulative totals as to items
properly received and items improperly received. In addition, you will also
inform, and cooperate in making available to, the Company or any such other
person or persons upon oral request made from time to time prior to the
Expiration Date of such other information as they may reasonably request. Such
cooperation shall include, without limitation, the granting by you to the
Company and such person as the Company may request of access to those persons on
your staff who are responsible for receiving tenders, in order to ensure that
immediately prior to the Expiration Date the Company shall have received
information in sufficient detail to enable it to decide whether to extend the
Exchange Offer. You shall prepare a final list of all persons whose tenders were
accepted, the aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Notes tendered, the
aggregate principal amount of Outstanding Notes accepted and deliver said list
to the Company.
17. Letters of Transmittal and Notices of Guaranteed Delivery
shall be stamped by you as to the date and, after the expiration of the Exchange
Offer, the time, of receipt thereof and shall be preserved by you for a period
of time at least equal to the period of time you preserve other records
pertaining to the transfer of securities. You shall dispose of unused Letters of
Transmittal and other surplus materials by returning them to the Company.
18. For services rendered as Exchange Agent hereunder, you shall
be entitled to such compensation as set forth on Schedule I attached hereto. The
provisions of this section shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
19. You hereby acknowledge receipt of the Prospectus and the
Letter of Transmittal. Any inconsistency between this Agreement, on the one
hand, and the Prospectus and the Letter of Transmittal (as they may be amended
from time to time), on the other hand, shall be resolved in favor of the latter
two documents, except with respect to your duties, liabilities and
indemnification as Exchange Agent.
20. The Company covenants and agrees to fully indemnify and hold
you harmless against any and all loss, liability, cost or expense, including
attorneys' fees and expenses, incurred without gross negligence or willful
misconduct on your part, arising out of or in connection with any act, omission,
delay or refusal made by you in reliance upon any signature, endorsement,
assignment, certificate, order, request, notice, instruction or other instrument
or document believed by you to be valid, genuine and sufficient and in accepting
any tender or effecting any transfer of Outstanding Notes believed by you in
good faith to be authorized, and in delaying or refusing in good faith to accept
any tenders or effect any transfer of Outstanding Notes. In each case, the
Company shall be notified by you, by letter or facsimile transmission, of the
written assertion of a claim against you or of any other action commenced
against you, promptly
-6-
after you shall have received any such written assertion or shall have been
served with a summons in connection therewith. The Company shall be entitled to
participate at its own expense in the defense of any such claim or other action
and, if the Company so elects, the Company shall assume the defense of any suit
brought to enforce any such claim. In the event that the Company shall assume
the defense of any such suit, the Company shall not be liable for the fees and
expenses of any additional counsel thereafter retained by you, so long as the
Company shall retain counsel satisfactory to you to defend such suit, and so
long as you have not determined, in your reasonable judgment, that a conflict of
interest exists between you and the Company. The provisions of this section
shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
21. You shall arrange to comply with all requirements under the
tax laws of the United States, including those relating to missing Tax
Identification Numbers, and shall file any appropriate reports with the Internal
Revenue Service.
22. You shall deliver or cause to be delivered, in a timely manner
to each governmental authority to which any transfer taxes are payable in
respect of the exchange of Outstanding Notes, the Company's check in the amount
of all transfer taxes so payable; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that you shall reimburse
the Company for amounts refunded to you in respect of your payment of any such
transfer taxes, at such time as such refund is received by you.
23. This Agreement and your appointment as Exchange Agent
hereunder shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the
State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed entirely
within such state, and shall inure to the benefit of, and the obligations
created hereby shall be binding upon, the successors and assigns of each of the
parties hereto.
24. This Agreement may be executed in two or more counterparts,
each of which shall be deemed to be an original and all of which together shall
constitute one and the same agreement.
25. In case any provision of this Agreement shall be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the
remaining provisions shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby.
26. This Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be
modified, amended, rescinded, cancelled or waived, in whole or in part, except
by a written instrument signed by a duly authorized representative of the party
to be charged. This Agreement may not be modified orally.
27. Unless otherwise provided herein, all notices, requests and
other communications to any party hereunder shall be in writing (including
facsimile or similar writing) and shall be given to such party, addressed to it,
at its address or telecopy number set forth below:
-7-
If to the Company:
PRIMEDIA Inc.
000 Xxxxx Xxxxxx
00xx Xxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Xxxxxx Xxxxxxxx
Assistant General Counsel
With a copy to:
Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxx & Xxxxxxxx
000 Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Xxxx X. Xxxxxxxx, Esq.
If to the Exchange Agent:
The Bank of New York
000 Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx
Xxxxx 00 Xxxx
Xxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxx 00000
Facsimile: (000) 000-0000
Attention: Corporate Trust Trustee Administration
28. Unless terminated earlier by the parties hereto, this
Agreement shall terminate 90 days following the Expiration Date. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, Sections 18 and 20 shall survive the termination of this
Agreement. Upon any termination of this Agreement, you shall promptly deliver to
the Company any certificates for Notes, funds or property then held by you as
Exchange Agent under this Agreement.
29. This Agreement shall be binding and effective as of the date
hereof.
-8-
Please acknowledge receipt of this Agreement and confirm the
arrangements herein provided by signing and returning the enclosed copy.
PRIMEDIA INC.
By:
---------------------------
Name:
Title:
Accepted as of the date
first above written:
THE BANK OF NEW YORK, as Exchange Agent
By:
---------------------------
Name:
Title:
-9-
SCHEDULE I
COMPENSATION OF EXCHANGE AGENT:
[$5,000] PLUS $500 PER EXTENSION OF OFFER
PLUS OUT-OF POCKET EXPENSES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION, LEGAL FEES AND EXPENSES.
