CenturyTel Announces Resignation of Chief Operating Officer.

Business Editors/Technology Writers

MONROE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2000

CenturyTel, Inc. (NYSE: CTL) announced today that Kenneth R. Cole resigned his position as the company's Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Cole has accepted the position of President and Chief Operating Office of Valor Communications, L.L.C.

"We will move quickly to select a highly qualified candidate to fill the Chief Operating Officer position," said Glen F. Post, III, President and Chief Executive Officer of CenturyTel. "We wish Ken the best of luck in his future endeavors. Until a replacement has been selected, I will perform the functions of Chief Operating Officer as CenturyTel continues to implement its strategy to become the leading telecommunications service provider in rural America."

CenturyTel (CenturyTel, Inc.) provides integrated communications services including local exchange, wireless, long distance, Internet access and security monitoring services to more than two million customers in 21 states. The company, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL. CenturyTel is the seventh largest local exchange telephone company, based on access lines, and the ninth largest cellular company, based on population equivalents owned, in the United States. Visit CenturyTel's corporate website at www.centurytel.com.