Near Earth LLC Announces an Expansion of its Advisory Board and Investment Banking Team

Near Earth LLC has added three new members to its Advisory Board: Christopher Baugh, president of NSR (formerly Northern Sky Research); Robert Maccini, Chief Operating Officer, Ando Media LLC and Net Radio Sales LLC; and Bruce Wendt of SteelTree Partners, LLC.

New York, NY (PRWEB) July 28, 2006 -- Near Earth LLC announced today an expansion of its Advisory Board and Investment Banking team.

Near Earth LLC has added three new members to its Advisory Board: Christopher Baugh, president of NSR (formerly Northern Sky Research); Robert Maccini, Chief Operating Officer, Ando Media LLC and Net Radio Sales LLC; and Bruce Wendt of SteelTree Partners, LLC. Near Earth LLC Managing Partner Hoyt Davidson says: “These additions will enhance Near Earth’s existing capabilities in media and telecom with tremendous depth in both of these sectors.”

Christopher Baugh serves as the president and research director for NSR, which he founded in 2000. Mr. Baugh guides all NSR multi-client research and single-client projects related to the satellite and wireless industries. He has participated in a number of individual client studies, performing research and market analysis on specific topics for clients in the telecommunications industry. Areas of coverage include broadband satellite networks, video broadcast services, wireless networks, pricing and strategic analyses, partnership identification and market validation through detailed forecasts and trend analyses.

Robert Maccini is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Ando Media, LLC and Net Radio Sales, LLC -- the former a leading provider of Internet radio audience measurement and advertising optimization tools, and the latter one of Internet radio’s leading advertising sales rep firms. Mr. Maccini is a stockholder and Director of Aritaur Communications, Inc., which owns and operates WMVY-FM, Martha’s Vineyard, mvyradio.com, Martha’s Vineyard Online, Fairfield County Online, and KJI Broadcasting, which owns WBET-AM. Aritaur is also a partner in AccuRadio, one the largest multichannel webcasters. Additionally, Mr. Maccini is President of Signal Ventures Associates, Inc., d.b.a. Media Services Group, Inc., which provides valuation, consulting, brokerage, and financing services to the broadcasting and cable television industries. He is a Director of Saga Communications, Inc., a publicly traded broadcasting company which owns over 60 stations in the U.S.

Bruce Wendt is Managing Member of SteelTree Partners, LLC, a Mergers & Acquisitions advisory firm with expertise in Communication Tower assets and Retail Real Estate. In this capacity, Mr. Wendt has represented numerous sellers to maximize the value of their assets through competitive auction processes, and has transacted with buyers including almost every major Tower company. Mr. Wendt has consulted with well known investment banks and equity funds on potential investments in the Tower space, and has also represented nationwide retailers in new store development.

Previous to SteelTree Partners, after working for AT&T Wireless Services in the mid 90s, Mr. Wendt accepted a position at AAT Communications Corp where he ran Mergers & Acquisitions for six years. At AAT, Mr. Wendt was directly involved in the acquisition of Tower assets valued at over $300 million, most notably the purchase of 800 sites from a major public Tower company for $200 million.

The Near Earth LLC Advisory Board and their areas of expertise now includes:

Communication towers
Mr. Bruce Wendt- Managing Member, Steel Tree Partners, LLC; Led Mergers and Acquisitions for AAT Communications Corp.

Fixed satellite services
Dr. Terry J. Hart- Principal, Hart and Associates, LLP; Former President, Loral Skynet; and Former Space Shuttle Astronaut

Media/DBS/broadcasting
Mr. Charles "Chuck" Hewitt, President, Atlas Business Development; Former President, Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA)
Mr. Marshall W. Pagon, CEO, Pegasus Communications
Mr. Jimmy Schaeffler, Chairman and CSO, The Carmel Group

Radio/new media
Mr. Robert J. Maccini, Chief Operating Officer, Ando Media LLC and Net Radio Sales LLC

Telecom
Mr. Christopher Baugh- President, NSR (formerly Northern Sky Research)
Ms. Susan J. Irwin-President, Irwin Communications, Inc.
Mr. Ramin Khadem-Consultant to the satellite and telecom sectors; Chairman of the Board, Trustees of the International Space University (ISU), Former Chief Financial Officer, Inmarsat Ventures Plc and Inmarsat Group Holdings Ltd.
Mr. Jeremy L. Rose- Senior Consultant, COMSYS; European Editor, International Journal Space Communications

Separately, Near Earth has expanded its Investment Banking team with the addition of Matthew Yukelson. Mr. Yukelson was most recently employed at Golden Tree Asset Management, an investment firm with a focus on distressed debt. Matt holds a B.S., Cum Laude from Cornell University. Near Earth LLC President J. Armand Musey commented: “We are excited to have Matt on board and look forward to his contribution.”

About Near Earth LLC:
Near Earth is an investment banking firm focused on the commercial space industry, as well as some of the newer and higher growth sectors of the telecommunications and media industries. Near Earth’s professionals have been involved in financings in excess of $30 billion during their careers. These financings pioneered the commercial space industry giving visionary entrepreneurs the capital they needed to bring us services we all take for granted today, like satellite TV, satellite radio, mobile voice and data communications anywhere in the world, satellite imagery of the earth and most recently Internet broadband for rural areas. For more information, visit www.nearearthllc.com.

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