Liberty Mutual Group Renews Sponsorship of Boston Pops Fourth of July Concert on the Esplanade

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group today announced that it would continue its sponsorship of the Boston Pops Fourth of July Concert on the Esplanade through 2012, which coincides with the company’s 100^th anniversary. The multi-year sponsorship agreement with Boston 4 Productions, the company that produces the event, totals approximately $7 million.

Headquartered in Boston since its inception in 1912, and with nearly 4,000 employees in 33 offices across Massachusetts, Liberty Mutual’s continued support will preserve a 36-year holiday tradition that brings an estimated 500,000 concertgoers to the Charles River Esplanade on the Fourth of July for free, family-friendly entertainment.

“This event has helped define our great city for decades while becoming one of the nation’s biggest Independence Day parties,” said Edmund F. Kelly, Liberty Mutual Group chairman, president and CEO. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate America’s birthday, whether you join us at the Esplanade, or enjoy the festivities on television.”

This year’s concert will feature Conductor Keith Lockhart and The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra, joined by Grammy Award winner Neil Diamond, perhaps best known locally for the Red Sox fan favorite, “Sweet Caroline.” Emceed by Craig Ferguson of the CBS “Late, Late Show,” the event will air locally on WBZ-TV from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., followed by a national CBS broadcast from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. For those watching the celebration from home, Liberty Mutual will bring the event's 21-minute fireworks grand finale commercial-free to millions of viewers across the nation.

“Over the past four decades, this celebration has become a mainstay in the lives of Bostonians, TV viewers, and the roughly one-third of loyal concertgoers visiting from outside New England,” said David G. Mugar, executive producer of The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. “We are delighted that Liberty Mutual will continue to be our partner in bringing this time-honored event to so many people locally and across the country.”

According to a 2008 study by Somerville-based research firm Mt. Auburn associates and commissioned for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular generates an estimated $20 million annually in Massachusetts tourism revenue.* Liberty Mutual, which offers home and auto insurance to Massachusetts residents and is the nation’s fifth largest property and casualty insurer, first began its sponsorship of The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular in 2005.

To ensure all television viewers can enjoy the celebration, Liberty Mutual will sponsor the live closed captioning of The Boston Fireworks Spectacular’s national telecast on CBS, supplied by the Boston non-profit Media Access Group at WGBH. For those listening to the concert, The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular will air locally on Boston’s classical station, 99.5 FM WCRB, and WBZ Newsradio 1030 AM. A streaming audiocast of the concert will be available on the Internet through www.wbz.com.

For more information about The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, please visit the event website at www.july4th.org.

About Liberty Mutual

Helping people live safer, more secure lives” since 1912, Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (www.libertymutual.com) is a diversified global insurer and fifth-largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. based on 2008 direct written premium. Liberty Mutual Group ranks 86th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, based on 2008 revenue. The company has over 45,000 employees located in more than 900 offices throughout the world.

The eighth-largest auto and home insurer in the U.S., Liberty Mutual (www.libertymutual.com) sells full lines of coverage for automobile, homeowners, valuable possessions, personal liability, and individual life insurance. The company is an industry leader in affinity partnerships, offering car and home insurance to employees and members of more than 10,000 companies, credit unions, professional associations and alumni groups.

About Boston 4 Celebrations

The Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular was founded in 1974 by then Boston Pops Conductor Arthur Fiedler and Boston businessman David G. Mugar. While Fiedler had been conducting Esplanade concerts since 1929, the idea of adding fireworks, cannons and church bells sparked new life into the well-known musical event. Now marking its 36^th year, the event is once again produced and coordinated by Boston 4 Productions, the production arm of the non-profit organization Boston 4 Celebrations. For more information about Boston 4 Celebrations Foundation on visit the event website at www.july4th.org.

* The Mt. Auburn Associates study, released in 2008 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, cites Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau data when referring to the spike in tourism surrounding Independence Day. The study explores the BSO’s strength in both Boston’s tourism and creative economies.