CKX, Inc. Announces Director Change.

Company to fill vacancy within regulatory timeframe

NEW YORK -- On January 15, 2009, CKX, Inc. (NASDAQ: CKXE) disclosed that John D. Miller, one of the Company's independent directors, had resigned from the Company's Board of Directors, effective January 12, 2009. Mr. Miller had served as a Director of the Company since February 2005 and was a member of the Audit Committee and the Compensation Committee. In disclosing the resignation, the Company noted that Mr. Miller had proposed that the Company consider making an investment in an unaffiliated company in which he holds an equity interest and for which he serves as a paid advisor and was therefore resigning to minimize any perceived or potential conflict of interest arising from such consideration and potential investment. Notwithstanding his resignation, the investment transaction proposed by Mr. Miller as referenced above will be subject to the Company's review process for related party transactions and, if consummated, will be disclosed in accordance with the SEC rules and regulations regarding disclosure of related party transactions.

As a result of Mr. Miller's resignation, the Company notified the NASDAQ Stock Market, and NASDAQ confirmed by written letter dated January 15, 2009, that the Company is no longer in compliance with NASDAQ's independent director requirement as set forth in NASDAQ Marketplace Rule 4350(c)(1). This rule requires that a majority of the Company's Board of Directors be comprised of independent directors. This notification has no effect on the listing of the Company's common stock at this time.

NASDAQ has provided the Company until the earlier of the Company's next annual shareholders' meeting or January 12, 2010; or, if the next annual shareholders' meeting is held before July 13, 2009, then July 13, 2009, in order to regain compliance with the independent director requirement. The Company does not anticipate difficulty in regaining compliance within the regulatory period, and its Board of Directors has begun the process of identifying a replacement independent director to join its Board.

About CKX, Inc.

CKX, Inc. is engaged in the ownership, development and commercial utilization of entertainment content. To date, the Company has focused on acquiring globally recognized entertainment content and related assets, including the rights to the name, image and likeness of Elvis Presley, the operations of Graceland, the rights to the name, image and likeness of Muhammad Ali and proprietary rights to the IDOLS television brand, including the American Idol series in the United States and local adaptations of the IDOLS television show format which, collectively, air in over 100 countries around the world.

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Words such as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," "target," "objective," "goal" and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance identify forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are based on management's current view about future events and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements.

We caution you not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. For additional information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please see the quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K that we have filed with the SEC. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section.

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