EXHIBIT 99

                     [American Tower Corporation letterhead]





FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE               Contact:  Joe Winn, Chief Financial
                                              Officer or Emily Farina, Director
                                              of Investor Relations
                                              Tel: (617) 375-7500

                           AMERICAN TOWER CORPORATION
                                 PUBLIC OFFERING
            OF 29,374,911 SHARES OF COMMON STOCK AT $23.50 PER SHARE

Boston,  Massachusetts  - July 2, 1998 - American Tower  Corporation  (NYSE:AMT)
announced the public  offering of  29,374,911  shares of Class A Common Stock at
$23.50.  Of the total number of shares,  25,500,000 shares are being sold by the
Company and 3,874,911 shares are being sold by certain selling stockholders. The
Company has granted the  underwriters  an option to purchase up to an additional
2,361,987 shares to cover  over-allotments,  if any. Credit Suisse First Boston,
BT Alex. Brown,  Lehman Brothers,  Morgan Stanley Dean Witter,  Bear,  Stearns &
Co., Inc.,  Merrill Lynch & Co. and Salomon Smith Barney are the underwriters of
the Class A Common Stock.

The Company  will use the net  proceeds  from the  offering to redeem all of the
outstanding  shares of its Series A  Pay-In-Kind  Preferred  Stock at a price of
101% of the liquidation  preference (which is expected to occur on or about July
9,  1998),  to  reduce  bank  borrowings  and to fund  future  acquisitions  and
construction activities.

Steve Dodge,  American  Tower's  Chairman & CEO, stated "We appreciate the broad
and  deep  support  that we  received  in  this  offering,  and we are now  well
positioned to build a substantial company."

American  Tower  is a  leading,  independent  owner  and  operator  of  wireless
communications  sites in the  United  States,  and,  giving  effect  to  pending
acquisitions,  operates  more than 1,800 towers in 44 states and the District of
Columbia.

A prospectus  relating to these  securities  may be obtained  from Credit Suisse
First Boston,  Prospectus  Department,  11 Madison  Avenue,  New York,  New York
10010, (212) 325-2580.



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               116 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02116
                        (617) 375-7500 Fax (617) 375-7575