EXHIBIT 99.1
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CONTACTS:         Tabitha Zane
                  SpectraSite
                  919-466-5492
                  tabitha.zane@spectrasite.com



                     SpectraSite TO POSTPONE ANNUAL MEETING


CARY, NC, MAY 16, 2002 - SpectraSite Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: SITE), one of the
largest wireless tower operators in the United States, today announced that it
will postpone its Annual Meeting of Stockholders, originally scheduled for May
28, 2002, in light of the following significant transactions announced earlier
today:

         1. Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) entered into a Funding
Agreement with the Company pursuant to which WCAS will, subject to certain
conditions, provide the Company with up to $350 million in new financing in
return for 12 7/8% convertible Term Notes;

         2. the Company will use up to $340 million of the proceeds from the
WCAS financing to repurchase certain of its senior notes through a "Modified
Dutch Auction" and $10 million of the proceeds to refinance a portion of its
senior credit facility; and

         3. the Company has entered into agreements with Cingular Wireless to
terminate its build-to-suit contract and, subject to certain conditions, to
transfer the Company's sublease interests in 545 SBC Communications' towers to
Cingular. In addition, the Company has modified its agreement with SBC to,
subject to certain conditions, reduce its future sublease commitment by 187
towers.


ABOUT SPECTRASITE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
SpectraSite Communications, Inc. (www.spectrasite.com), based in Cary, North
Carolina, is one of the largest wireless tower operators in the United States.
The Company also is a leading provider of outsourced services to the wireless
communications and broadcast industries in the United States and Canada. At
March 31, 2002, SpectraSite owned or managed approximately 20,000 sites,
including 8,015 towers primarily in the top 100 markets in the United States.
SpectraSite's customers are leading wireless communications providers and
broadcasters, including AT&T Wireless, ABC Television, Cingular, Nextel, Paxson
Communications, Sprint PCS, Verizon Wireless and Voicestream.