Earl Hogan Retires from CenturyTel Board; Communications Industry Veteran Elected Director.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

MONROE, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 8, 2003

CenturyTel, Inc. (NYSE:CTL) shareholders elected communications industry veteran Fred Nichols of Tyler, Texas, to the board of directors during the company's annual meeting Thursday. Mr. Nichols replaces retiring charter board member Earl Hogan, 82, of Oak Ridge, La.

Mr. Hogan retired in 1997 as managing partner of EDJ Farms in Oak Ridge. He had served CenturyTel as a board member since 1968 and held memberships on the executive, audit and compensation committees.

During Mr. Hogan's board tenure, CenturyTel grew from a small local telephone company with 17,500 customers and $1.6 million in annual revenue to the eighth largest local exchange company in the United States, with more than 3 million customers, about 7,000 employees and more than $2 billion in annual revenue.

"We are grateful to Mr. Hogan for his many years of helping guide CenturyTel's growth," said CenturyTel chairman and CEO Glen F. Post, III. "Over the course of three decades, his dedication and insight have been invaluable to CenturyTel. He has been an unfailing example of the character and integrity that is the foundation of CenturyTel's success. We want to express our heartfelt appreciation to Mr. Hogan and his family, and our very best wishes."

Mr. Nichols, 56, retired as executive vice president of operations for Cox Communications, Inc., in 2000. He also served as chairman of the board, president and CEO of TCA Cable TV from 1997 to 1999, and was on the executive boards of C-SPAN Television and the National Cable Television Association (NCTA).

"Fred brings a very strong background in communications to CenturyTel," Post said. "He has much to offer in helping us achieve our goal of answering the strong demand in our markets for advanced, integrated communications services. We are very pleased to welcome Fred to CenturyTel's board."

CenturyTel, Inc. provides communications services including local, long distance, Internet access and data services to more than 3 million customers in 22 states. The company, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL, and is included in the S&P 500 Index. CenturyTel is the 8th largest local exchange telephone company, based on access lines, in the United States. Visit CenturyTel at www.centurytel.com.