BELL ATLANTIC LAUNCHES CONSUMER ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 16, 1996

BELL ATLANTIC LAUNCHES CONSUMER ADVERTISING
CAMPAIGN

"Wired? Yeah, You're Wired" Campaign
Created by
Saatchi & Saatchi, DraftDirect
Agencies

ARLINGTON, VA - Bell Atlantic will launch a new mass marketing
advertising campaign featuring three consumer telephone services
provided through the Bell Atlantic network. The campaign begins Feb.
20 - just 12 days after President Clinton signed a new
telecommunications law that opens the local telephone market to all
comers.

The campaign is the creative product of an alliance between two New
York-based agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising and DraftDirect.

Ads will focus on three of the hottest products consumers want from
Bell Atlantic - Answer Call, Caller ID and additional lines-joining
all three under one umbrella line for the first time. Media will
include television ads, direct response TV, direct mail and newspaper
ads in Northern New Jersey; Philadelphia; Pittsburgh; Baltimore;
Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va.; Norfolk/Virginia Beach,Va., and
Charleston, W. Va.

"Our ads demonstrate Bell Atlantic's commitment to innovation and
maintaining its leadership in consumer services," said Mary
Matthews,
director of marketing communications for Bell Atlantic Consumer
Services. "At a time when there is mounting consumer anxiety over
the complexity of communications, consumers can depend on the quality
services and reliability provided by the Bell Atlantic network."

A common signature line, "Wired? Yeah, you're wired," will tie
together the Bell Atlantic consumer campaign. The phrase, which will
be used in each TV and radio ad, will remind consumers that the Bell
Atlantic network connects them to a wide array of valuable,
high-quality services.

There also will be a series of humorous radio commercials for Return
Call, popularly known as *69. These ads will air in Philadelphia;
Pittsburgh; Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Richmond, Va., and
Charleston, W. Va.

"This 'minimalist' campaign focuses on the products and their
consumer
benefits rather than on elaborate set designs or exotic locations,"
said Beau Fraser, management director for Saatchi and Saatchi.
"Each
spot clearly demonstrates the product's ability to give consumers more
control over their phone in terms that are meaningful, human and
friendly."

In "Pipe," the ad for Caller ID, a customer is anxiously
waiting to
hear from the plumber while he struggles to keep a leaky pipe from
bursting. With Caller ID, the customer can see whether an incoming
call is from the plumber or someone he can talk to later.

An ad called "Large Family" shows how Answer Call takes a
message on
incoming calls when you are already on the phone and provides a
private mail box for each family member.

The "Two Guys" ad demonstrates the value of additional phone
lines for
chatting with friends while using modems, computers, fax machines or
the Internet. With more than one line, consumers in the same
household can fax, be on-line and speak on the phone at the same time.

Radio spots on Return Call feature a choir in the midst of a rehearsal
and the drama of a fencing duel. The ads show the benefits of this
popular service which allows customers to call back the last local
phone number that called them, whether they were able to answer the
call or not.

Last September, Saatchi & Saatchi was appointed the new agency of
record for Bell Atlantic. DraftDirect, an affiliate of Saatchi &
Saatchi, is responsible for the direct marketing component of the Bell
Atlantic consumer campaign.

Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new
communications, entertainment and information industry. In the
mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local
telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the
largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication
marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in
Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing
high-growth national and international business opportunities in all
phases of the industry.

####

for more information, contact:

Bell Atlantic:
Joan Rasmussen, 703-974-8815
joan.m.rasmussen@bell-atl.com

Burson-Marsteller:
Peter Himler, 212-614-4082
PETER_HIMLER@BM.COM