SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION
PROXY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 14(a)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Filed by the Registrant [x]
Filed by a Party other than the Registrant [ ]
Check the appropriate box:
[ ] Preliminary Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive Proxy Statement
[ ] Definitive Additional Materials
[x] Soliciting Material Pursuant to Rule 14a-12
[ ] Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only as permitted by
Rule 14a-6(e)(2))
THE LIBERTY CORPORATION
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(Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement if other than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):
[x] No fee required.
[ ] Fee computed on table below per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i)(4) and 0-11.
(1) Title of each class of securities to which transaction applies:
(2) Aggregate number of securities to which transaction applies:
(3) Per unit price or other underlying value of transaction computed
pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 0-11 (Set forth the amount on which the
filing fee is calculated and state how it was determined):
(4) Proposed maximum aggregate value of transaction:
(5) Total fee paid:
[ ] Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
[ ] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was
paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement
number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing.
(1) Amount previously paid:
(2) Form, schedule or registration statement no.:
(3) Filing party:
(4) Date filed:
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The Liberty Corporation. Box 789 Greenville, SC 29602-0789
For Further Information: Ken Jones (864) 609-3496
THE LIBERTY CORP. ANNOUNCES SHAREHOLDER MEETING
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Company Seeks Approval of Plan to Sell Its Insurance Operations
GREENVILLE, S.C., August 11, 2000 - The Liberty Corp. (NYSE: LC) today
announced that a special meeting of the company's shareholders will be held on
September 29, 2000, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time at The Liberty Corp.
headquarters on Wade Hampton Boulevard in Greenville, S.C. The purpose of the
meeting is to consider and vote upon a proposal to approve the sale of the
company's insurance operations to Royal Bank of Canada. Shareholders of record
as of August 21, 2000, are entitled to vote on this proposal and on any other
business introduced at the meeting.
The Liberty Corp. is a holding company with operations in insurance and
broadcasting. Annual revenues in 1999 were $556 million. Company headquarters
is in Greenville, SC.
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INFORMATION CONCERNING PARTICIPANTS
The Liberty Corporation and certain executive officers and directors may
be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies of Liberty's
shareholders to approve the proposed sale of its insurance operations to Royal
Bank of Canada. The directors of Liberty are Edward E. Crutchfield; John R.
Farmer; Hayne Hipp; W. W. Johnson; William O. McCoy; John H. Mullin, III;
Benjamin F. Payton; J. Thurston Roach; Eugene E. Stone, IV; and William B.
Timmerman. As of June 30, 2000, Hayne Hipp was deemed to beneficially own
approximately 11.9% of Liberty's outstanding voting shares, the directors as a
group were deemed to beneficially own approximately 12.2% of Liberty's
outstanding voting shares and the directors and executive officers as a group
were deemed to own approximately 14.7% of Liberty's outstanding voting shares.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC;
under these rules, a person is deemed to beneficially own, among other things,
shares subject to options exercisable currently or within 60 days. Additional
information about the directors of Liberty is included in the Liberty's proxy
statement for its 2000 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, filed with the SEC on
May 2, 2000.
In addition, the following persons may be deemed participants as a result
of agreements among them to vote certain shares of Liberty in favor of the sale
to Royal Bank of Canada: Mary Jane Hipp Brock; Gail Hipp Cook; Mason Goldsmith;
Anna Kate Hipp; Hayne Hipp; John Boyd Hipp; William F. Hipp; Dorothy Gunter
Leland; Frances M. McCreery; and Royal Bank of Canada. The aggregate number of
shares subject to these voting agreements constitutes approximately 22.3% of
Liberty's outstanding voting shares, calculated on a fully-diluted basis.
SHAREHOLDERS OF THE LIBERTY CORPORATION AND OTHER INVESTORS ARE URGED TO
READ THE PROXY STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14A TO BE FILED BY LIBERTY IN CONNECTION
WITH THE SALE OF ITS INSURANCE BUSINESS TO ROYAL BANK OF CANADA BECAUSE IT WILL
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Upon filing, this proxy statement, as well as
the proxy statement for the 2000 Annual Meeting of Shareholders mentioned
above, will be available free of charge on the SEC website at www.sec.gov and
from Liberty by contacting Martha G. Williams, General Counsel and Secretary,
2000 Wade Hampton Boulevard, Greenville, South Carolina 29615.
