APRIL 18, 2007 - STARKEY HEARING FOUNDATION LAUNCHES HEARING LOSS PREVENTION CAMPAIGN AT AUDIOLOGYNOW! 2007

“Sound Affects” Enlists Country Star Trisha Yearwood and Leading Audiologist Gyl Kasewurm to Educate Americans about Responsible Listening in the iPod Age

DENVER - The Starkey Hearing Foundation, a world leader in promoting hearing health awareness, today announced its “Sound Affects” hearing loss prevention campaign at AudiologyNow! 2007, the American Academy of Audiology’s annual trade event. Starkey is partnering with platinum country recording artist and three-time GRAMMY winner Trisha Yearwood and leading audiologist Gyl Kasewurm, AuD, FAAA, to help spread the “Sound Affects” message and educate consumers about how to protect their hearing. “Hearing is such a critical part of being a musician,” Yearwood said. “I’ve seen so many great artists struggle with hearing loss that I had to be part of bringing this issue into the spotlight. No one should have to struggle to hear.” Yearwood will appear in the “Sound Affects” a regional advertising and public service announcement campaign breaking April 20. She and Kasewurm will serve as media spokespeople.

“People are losing their hearing two-and-a-half times faster than their parents and grandparents, due largely to sustained overexposure to loud sound,” said Kasewurm, Doctor of Audiology. “And in another 40 years, nearly 50 million people in the U.S. could be hearing impaired. Those numbers are just unacceptable, especially when this type of hearing loss is largely preventable. “People simply aren’t listening to audiologists when we tell them that they get one set of ears and they better protect them! That’s why this campaign is so important.”

Through the “Sound Affects” program, the Starkey Hearing Foundation aims to bring one of the audiology community’s most critical issues to the forefront of consumer awareness by educating them about the effects of the misuse of popular electronic devices, such as MP3 players, Bluetooth headsets and cell phones. The campaign will also address how live noise, such as amplified music at concerts and loud machinery used for road work, can impair hearing.

“The heart of our message is really, if after someone says something to you and your reaction is, ‘What?,’ you’re in a situation that is too loud,” said Bill Austin, founder and CEO of Starkey Laboratories. “Auditory health is important for everybody because overexposure to sound has become so engrained into our culture. We sit in roaring crowds during sporting events and packed stadiums to see our favorite bands play.”

“Sound Affects” is part of the Starkey Hearing Foundation’s overall goal of educating the world about hearing health. The Starkey Hearing Foundation will continue its partnership with USA Today through a nationwide school program to offer information about the causes of hearing loss and steps consumers can take to protect their ears. The educational program will reach 30,000 elementary, middle and high school classrooms and 400 universities across the country.

In addition, the Starkey Hearing Foundation will partner with consumer electronics manufacturers and companies in the music, entertainment and sporting industries to bring the “Sound Affects” message directly to consumers where they are most at risk of damaging their hearing.

For more information about the Starkey Hearing Foundation, please visit http://www.sotheworldmayhear.org.