*NSYNC's Joey Fatone (Now Starring in RENT) Joins Broadway Cares in Welcoming HERSHEY'S to Times Square

HERSHEY'S spectacular -- towering 215 ft. tall and 60 ft. wide, making it the largest permanent fixture ever constructed in Times Square -- features a whimsical version of the original HERSHEY'S chocolate factory, complete with smokestacks, just like the one in Milton Hershey's hometown, Hershey, PA. Thanks to 34 dimensional props, four steam machines, over 4,000 chasing lights, 30 programmable gel lights, 56 neon channel letters, 14 front-lit signs, and just about every other major signage technique utilized today, the chocolate factory spectacular will:

• Feature an oversized HERSHEY(R)'S milk chocolate bar
• Light up a pyramid of HERSHEY(R)'S KISSES(R) with colors that change with the seasons
• Showcase a JOLLY RANCHER(R) candy wind sculpture
• Spout steam from the HERSHEY(R)'S cocoa cup
• Spin BREATH SAVERS(R) mints above the sidewalks of New York

"We are thrilled to be opening HERSHEY'S flagship store in New York's Times Square -- combining the beloved, traditional icons of HERSHEY'S with the 21st century of Times Square, the gateway to the world," said Wynn Willard, chief marketing officer and senior vice president at Hershey Foods Corporation. "We couldn't think of a better place to showcase our brands than in Times Square where both native New Yorkers and tourists from all over the world come together to shop and play. We hope to make any visit to Times Square even sweeter than it already is."

To welcome HERSHEY'S to Times Square, RENT cast member Joey Fatone -- on behalf of Broadway Cares EFA -- will host the lighting celebration along with Broadway's brightest stars that will cause "one singular sensation." Festivities include musical numbers by Fatone and his RENT cast members, Christopher Sieber (Into the Woods, Beauty and the Beast, and TV's Two of a Kind), and young child talent from The Broadway Kids from shows including Les Miserables, Annie Get Your Gun, The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast, Oklahoma, A Christmas Carol, The Wizard of Oz and The People Garden. As part of the grand finale, Fatone and his fellow Broadway stars will join HERSHEY'S in leading the countdown to illuminate the HERSHEY'S sign spectacular with the flip of an oversized light switch.

"We're happy to welcome HERSHEY'S to our Broadway community -- the intersection of world-class, family entertainment and retailing for the millions of people who visit New York City year after year," said Tom Viola, executive director of Broadway Cares.

HERSHEY'S Times Square was part of a collaborative effort. The spectacular concept was created by ClearChannel Spectacolor, who is also responsible for project management and construction. Brand Integration Group (BIG), an integrated unit of Ogilvy & Mather, served as design consultants on the project. Brand Integration Group in concert with JGA, a Michigan Retail Design firm, collaborated with Hershey Foods to create the design of the store.

"We are excited that HERSHEY'S embraced the great potential of a concept that would combine Times Square's most spectacular sign -- the biggest ever -- together with a retail store, offering America's favorite sweets and chocolates to millions of people at a blockbuster location ... the `crossroads of the world,'" said George Stonbely, chairman of ClearChannel Spectacolor.

"The design concept was born out of imagining that Milton Hershey had also built a chocolate factory in Times Square in 1905," said Brian Collins, executive creative director at Ogilvy & Mather's BIG. "We then imagined what that factory might have looked like as HERSHEY'S grew throughout the century, becoming a rich part of America's heritage and contemporary culture. In fact, the closer we stayed to the true heart and soul of the Hershey brand story, the more marvelous the factory, the signs and the store design became."

About Hershey Foods Corporation

Hershey Foods Corporation (NYSE: HSY) is the leading North American manufacturer of quality chocolate and non-chocolate confectionery and chocolate-related grocery products. Some of the company's most popular products include HERSHEY(R)'S chocolate and chocolate with almond bars, HERSHEY(R)'S KISSES(R) chocolates, REESE'S(R) peanut butter cups, JOLLY RANCHER(R) and TWIZZLERS(R) candies, HERSHEY(R)'S cocoa, and HERSHEY(R)'S syrup. The company also is a market leader in the gum and mint category with such well-known brands as ICE BREAKERS(R), BREATH SAVERS(R), and BUBBLE YUM(R).

About Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is the nation's leading industry-based, not-for-profit AIDS fundraising and grant making organization. BC/EFA is the on-going, committed response from the American Theatre community to an urgent worldwide health crisis. By drawing upon the talents, resources, and generosity of this community, BC/EFA raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States. Since its founding in 1998, BC/EFA has raised over $60 million for critically-needed services for people with AIDS, HIV or HIV- related illnesses.

About ClearChannel Spectacolor

ClearChannel Spectacolor is a joint venture between Spectacolor Communications Inc. and Clear Channel Outdoor, a wholly owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications Inc., headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Clear Channel is a global leader in the media industry with radio and television stations, outdoor displays and entertainment venues in 66 countries around the world. ClearChannel Spectacolor is the world's leading spectacular sign company with operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia (DEFI), as well as the market leader in Times Square.

About BIG

The Brand Integration Group (BIG), an award-winning design group, is a fully integrated unit of Ogilvy & Mather Advertising. Now in its fifth year, BIG has offices in New York and Los Angeles, employs over 35 designers and has worked on behalf of such clients as IBM, American Express, BP, Miller Brewing, Mattel, Motorola and many others.

SOURCE Hershey Foods Corporation

CONTACT: Judy Hogarth, Hershey Foods Corporation, +1-717-534-7216, on-site: +1-717-215-3402, jhogarth@hersheys.com; or Colleen McCarthy, Edelman, +1-212-704-4505, on-site: +1-917-697-9553, colleen.mccarthy@edelman.com, for Hershey