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                                                                   EXHIBIT 99.1


                                  [LAMAR LOGO]
                              5551 CORPORATE BLVD.
                             BATON ROUGE, LA 70808



Company Contact:           Keith Istre, CFO
                           (225) 926-1000



             LAMAR ADVERTISING COMPLETES THE SALE OF AN ADDITIONAL
                       $37.5 MILLION OF CONVERTIBLE NOTES




         BATON ROUGE, La - (BUSINESS WIRE) --- August 17, 1999 --- Lamar
Advertising Company (NASDAQ: LAMR) announced today that it has completed the
sale of an additional $37,500,000 principal amount of 5 1/4% Convertible Notes
due 2006 through Goldman Sachs & Co., Deutsche Banc Alex. Brown, Morgan Stanley
Dean Witter and Salomon Smith Barney as underwriters. The notes were sold
pursuant to the exercise in full of the underwriters' overallotment option
granted in connection with the initial sale of $250,000,000 principal amount of
Convertible Notes which was completed on August 10, 1999. The Convertible Notes
bear interest at the rate of 5.25% per annum and are convertible into shares of
Lamar Advertising's Class A common stock at an initial conversion price of
$46.25 per share. Proceeds of approximately $36,400,000 from the sale of the
additional Convertible Notes will be used to pay existing bank debt.

         The offering of the Convertible Notes may be made only by means of a
prospectus, a copy of which can be obtained from Lamar Advertising at 5551
Corporate Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA 70896 or Goldman, Sachs & Co. at 85 Broad
Street, New York, NY 10004.

         Lamar Advertising is a leading outdoor advertising company currently
operating 107 outdoor advertising companies in 36 states, logo sign contracts
in 20 states and the Province of Ontario, Canada and 23 transit advertising
operations in nine states.