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                                                                     Exhibit 1.1
                            Central Newspapers, Inc.
                                        
                    Class A Common Stock, Without Par Value

                                ---------------

                             Underwriting Agreement

                                                               November   , 1998

Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation,
 As representatives of the several Underwriters
 named in Schedule I hereto,
c/o Goldman, Sachs & Co.,
85 Broad Street,
New York, New York 10004

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     A certain shareholder named in Schedule II hereto (the "Selling
Stockholder") of Central Newspapers, Inc., an Indiana corporation (the
"Company"), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein, to sell
to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the "Underwriters") an aggregate
of 1,162,478 shares (the "Firm Shares") and, at the election of the
Underwriters, up to 174,372 additional shares (the "Optional Shares") of Class A
Common Stock, without par value (the "Stock") of the Company (the Firm Shares
and the Optional Shares which the Underwriters elect to purchase pursuant to
Section 2 hereof are herein collectively called the "Shares").

          1. (a) The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each 
of the Underwriters that:

                 (i) A registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 33-   ) (the
          "Initial Registration Statement") in respect of the Shares has been
          filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission");
          the Initial Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment
          thereto, each in the form heretofore delivered to you, and, excluding
          exhibits thereto but including all documents incorporated by reference
          in the prospectus contained therein, to you for each of the other
          Underwriters, have been declared effective by the Commission in such
          form; other than a registration statement, if any, increasing the size
          of the offering (a "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement"), filed
          pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
          (the "Act"), which became effective upon filing, no



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other document with respect to the Initial Registration Statement or document
incorporated by reference therein has heretofore been filed with the Commission;
and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Initial Registration
Statement, any post-effective amendment thereto or the Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement, if any, has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been
initiated or threatened by the Commission (any preliminary prospectus included
in the Initial Registration Statement or filed with the Commission pursuant to
Rule 424(a) of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the Act is
hereinafter called a "Preliminary Prospectus"; the various parts of the Initial
Registration Statement and the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any,
including all exhibits thereto and including (i) the information contained in
the form of final prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b)
under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof and deemed by virtue of
Rule 430A under the Act to be part of the Initial Registration Statement at the
time it was declared effective and (ii) the documents incorporated by reference
in the prospectus contained in the Initial Registration Statement at the time
such part of the Initial Registration Statement became effective, each as
amended at the time such part of the Initial Registration Statement became
effective or such part of the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, if any, became
or hereafter becomes effective, are hereinafter collectively called the
"Registration Statement"; and such final prospectus, in the form first filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act, is hereinafter called the "Prospectus";
any reference herein to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein
pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any
amendment or supplement to any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be
deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after the date of such
Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be, under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"), and incorporated by
reference in such Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus, as the case may be; and
any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to
refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section
13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Initial
Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement;

     (ii) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus,
at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the
requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit
to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty
shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in 
conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by an
Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for

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use therein or by the Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the preparation
of the answers therein to Item 7 of Form S-3;

     (iii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, when they
became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be,
conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the
Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a
material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; and any further
documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or
are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material
respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an
untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to
be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any
statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information
furnished in writing to the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs &
Co. expressly for use therein;

     (iv) The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any
further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act
and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will
not, as of the applicable effective date as to the Registration Statement and
any amendment thereto and as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus
and any amendment or supplement thereto, contain an untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that
this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions
made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to
the Company by an Underwriter through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use
therein or by the Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the preparation of
the answers therein to Item 7 of Form S-3;

     (v) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained since the
date of the latest audited financial statements included or incorporated by
reference in the Prospectus any material loss or interference with its business
from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by
insurance, or from any labor dispute or court or governmental action, order or
decree, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus; and,
since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement and the Prospectus, there has not been any change in the capital stock
or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material
adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse
change, in or affecting the

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general affairs, management, financial position, shareholders' equity or results
of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth
or contemplated in the Prospectus;

     (vi) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee
simple to all real property and good and marketable title to all personal
property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances
and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus or such as do not
materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use
made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its
subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under lease by the
Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and
enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and do not interfere
with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and buildings by the
Company and its subsidiaries;

     (vii) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a
corporation in good standing under the laws of Indiana, with power and authority
(corporate and other) to own its properties and conduct its business as
described in the Prospectus, and has been duly qualified as a foreign
corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the
laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties or
conducts any business so as to require such qualification, or is subject to no
material liability or disability by reason of the failure to be so qualified in
any such jurisdiction; and each subsidiary of the Company has been duly
incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the
laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation;

     (viii) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the
Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of the Company have
been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable
and conform to the description of the Stock contained in the Prospectus; and all
of the issued shares of capital stock of each subsidiary of the Company have
been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable
and (except for directors' qualifying shares and except as set forth in the
Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of
all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims;

     (ix) The compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not
conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or
provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of
trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or
any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its
subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result in any
violation of the provisions of the certificate of incorporation or by-laws of
the Company or any statute or any order, rule or


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regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over
the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties; and no
consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or
with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for sale of the
Shares or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by
this Agreement, except the registration under the Act of the Shares and such
consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualification as may be
required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase
and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

     (x) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its
certificate of incorporation or by-laws or in default in the performance or
observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, lease or
other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of
its properties may be bound;

     (xi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
"Description of Capital Stock", insofar as they purport to constitute a summary
of the terms of the Stock, under the caption "Taxation", and under the caption
"Underwriting", insofar as they purport to describe the provisions of the laws
and documents referred to therein, are accurate, complete and fair;

     (xii) Other than as set forth in the Prospectus (including information
incorporated therein), there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to
which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property
of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined
adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in
the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the current or future
consolidated financial position, shareholders' equity or results of operations
of the Company and its subsidiaries; and, to the best of the Company's
knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental
authorities or threatened by others;

     (xiii) The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale
of the Shares, will not be an "investment company", as such term is defined in
the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act");

     (xiv) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Olive LLP (formerly Geo. S. Olive &
Co., LLC), who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and
its subsidiaries, are independent public accountants as required by the Act and
the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and

     (xv) The Company has reviewed its operations and that of its subsidiaries
and any

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     third parties with which the Company or any of its subsidiaries has a
     material relationship to evaluate the extent to which the business or
     operations of the Company or any of its subsidiaries will be affected by 
     the Year 2000 Problem. As a result of such review, the Company has no 
     reason to believe, and does not believe, that the Year 2000 Problem will 
     have a material adverse effect on the general affairs, management, the 
     current or future consolidated financial position, business prospects, 
     shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its 
     subsidiaries or result in any material loss or interference with the 
     Company's business or operations. The "Year 2000 Problem" as used herein 
     means any significant risk that computer hardware or software used in the 
     receipt, transmission, processing, manipulation, storage, retrieval, 
     retransmission or other utilization of data or in the operation of 
     mechanical or electrical systems of any kind will not, in the case of 
     dates or time periods occurring after December 31, 1999, function at least 
     as effectively as in the case of dates or time periods occurring prior to 
     January 1, 2000.

     (b) The Selling Stockholder represents and warrants to, and agrees with,
each of the Underwriters and the Company that:

          (i) All consents, approvals, authorizations and orders necessary for
     the execution and delivery by the Selling Stockholder of this Agreement and
     the Custody Agreement hereinafter referred to, and for the sale and
     delivery of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholder hereunder,
     have been obtained; and the Selling Stockholder has full right, power and
     authority to enter into this Agreement and the Custody Agreement and to
     sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold by the Selling
     Stockholder hereunder;

          (ii) The sale of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholder
     hereunder and the compliance by the Selling Stockholder with all of the
     provisions of this Agreement and the Custody Agreement and the consummation
     of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with
     or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or
     constitute a default under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of
     trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Selling
     Stockholder is a party or by which the Selling Stockholder is bound or to
     which any of the property or assets of the Selling Stockholder is subject,
     nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the
     Nina Mason Pulliam Revocable Trust dated August 24, 1990, or any statute or
     any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body
     having jurisdiction over the Selling Stockholder or the property of the
     Selling Stockholder;

          (iii) The Selling Stockholder has, and immediately prior to each Time
     of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 hereof) the Selling Stockholder will
     have, good and valid title to the Shares to be sold by the Selling
     Stockholder hereunder, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities
     or claims; and, upon delivery of such Shares and payment therefor pursuant
     hereto, good and valid title to such Shares, free and clear of all liens,
     encumbrances,

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     equities or claims, will pass to the several Underwriters;

          (iv) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing
     to and including the date 90 days after the date of the Prospectus, not to
     offer, sell contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided
     hereunder, any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to
     the Shares, including but not limited to any securities that are
     convertible into or exchangeable for, or that represent the right to
     receive, Stock or any such substantially similar securities (other than
     pursuant to employee stock option plans existing on, or upon the conversion
     or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities outstanding as of,
     the date of this Agreement), without your prior written consent;

          (v) The Selling Stockholder has not taken and will not take, directly
     or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or
     which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or
     manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the
     sale or resale of the Shares;

          (vi) To the extent that any statements or omissions made in the
     Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any
     amendment or supplement thereto are made in reliance upon and in conformity
     with written information furnished to the Company by the Selling
     Stockholder expressly for use therein, such Preliminary Prospectus and the
     Registration Statement did, and the Prospectus and any further amendments
     or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, when they
     become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will
     conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the
     rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain any
     untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact
     required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
     not misleading;

          (vii) In order to document the Underwriters' compliance with the
     reporting and withholding provisions of the Tax Equity and Fiscal
     Responsibility Act of 1982 with respect to the transactions herein
     contemplated, the Selling Stockholder will deliver to you prior to or at
     the First Time of Delivery (as hereinafter defined) a properly completed
     and executed United States Treasury Department Form W-9 (or other
     applicable form or statement specified by Treasury Department regulations
     in lieu thereof);

          (viii) Certificates in negotiable form representing all of the Shares
     to be sold by the Selling Stockholder hereunder have been placed in custody
     under a Custody Agreement, in the form heretofore furnished to you (the
     "Custody Agreement"), duly executed and delivered by the Selling
     Stockholder to Norwest Bank Minnesota, N.A., as custodian (the
     "Custodian"), and the undersigned trustee on behalf of the Selling
     Shareholder has the authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, to
     determine the purchase price to be paid


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     by the Underwriters to the Selling Stockholder as provided in Section 2
     hereof, to authorize the delivery of the Shares to be sold by the Selling
     Stockholder hereunder and otherwise to act on behalf of the Selling
     Stockholder in connection with the transactions contemplated by this
     Agreement and the Custody Agreement; and

          (ix) The Shares represented by the certificates held in custody for
     the Selling stockholder under the Custody Agreement are subject to the
     interests of the Underwriters hereunder and the arrangements made by the
     Selling Stockholder for such custody is irrevocable; the obligations of the
     Selling Stockholder hereunder shall not be terminated by operation of law,
     by the death or incapacity of any trustee or the termination of such trust,
     or by the occurrence of any other event; if any trustee should die or
     become incapacitated, or if any such trust should be terminated or if any
     other such event should occur, before the delivery of the Shares hereunder,
     certificates representing the Shares shall be delivered by or on behalf of
     the Selling Stockholder in accordance with the terms and conditions of this
     Agreement and of the Custody Agreement; regardless of whether or not the
     Custodian, or any person, shall have received notice of such death,
     incapacity, termination, or other event.

     2. Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, (a) the Selling
Stockholder agrees to sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the
Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Selling
Stockholder, at a purchase price per share of $    , the Firm Shares, and (b) in
the event and to the extent that the Underwriters shall exercise the election to
purchase Optional Shares as provided below, the Selling Stockholder agrees to
sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally
and not jointly, to purchase from the Selling Stockholder, at the purchase price
per share set forth in clause (a) of this Section 2, that portion of the number
of Optional Shares as to which such election shall have been exercised.

     The Selling Stockholder hereby grants to the Underwriters the right to
purchase at their election up to 174,372 Optional Shares, at the purchase price
per share set forth in the paragraph above, for the sole purpose of covering
overallotments in the sale of the Firm Shares. Any such election to purchase
Optional Shares may be exercised only by written notice from you to the Selling
Shareholder, given within a period of 30 calendar days after the date of this
Agreement and setting forth the aggregate number of Optional Shares to be
purchased and the date on which such Optional Shares are to be delivered, as
determined by you but in no event earlier than the First Time of Delivery (as
defined in Section 4 hereof) or, unless you and the Selling Shareholder
otherwise agree in writing, earlier than two or later than ten business days
after the date of such notice.

     3. Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Firm Shares, the
several Underwriters propose to offer the Firm Shares for sale upon the terms
and conditions set forth in the Prospectus.

     4. (a) The Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder, in
definitive form, and


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in such authorized denominations and registered in such names as Goldman, Sachs
& Co. may request upon at least forty-eight hours' prior notice to the Selling
Stockholder shall be delivered by or on behalf of the Selling Stockholder to
Goldman, Sachs & Co., through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company
("DTC"), for the account of such Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of
such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal
(same-day) funds to the account specified by the Custodian, to Goldman, Sachs &
Co. at least forty-eight hours in advance. The Company will cause the
certificates representing the Shares to be made available for checking and
packaging at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined
below) with respect thereto at the office of DTC or its designated custodian
(the "Designated Office"). The time and date of such delivery and payment shall
be, with respect to the Firm Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on
-------------, 19-- or such other time and date as Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the
Selling Stockholder may agree upon in writing, and, with respect to the Optional
Shares, 9:30 a.m., New York time, on the date specified by Goldman, Sachs & Co.
in the written notice given by Goldman, Sachs & Co. of the Underwriters'
election to purchase such Optional Shares, or such other time and date as
Goldman, Sachs & Co. and the Selling Stockholder may agree upon in writing. Such
time and date for delivery of the Firm Shares is herein called the "First Time
of Delivery", such time and date for delivery of the Optional Shares, if not the
First Time of Delivery, is herein called the "Second Time of Delivery", and each
such time and date for delivery is herein called a "Time of Delivery".

     (b) The documents to be delivered at each Time of Delivery by or on behalf
of the parties hereto pursuant to Section 7 hereof, including the cross receipt
for the Shares and any additional documents requested by the Underwriters
pursuant to Section 7(k) hereof, will be delivered at the offices of Davis Polk
& Wardwell, 450 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (the "Closing Location"),
and the Shares will be delivered at the Designated Office, all at such Time of
Delivery. A meeting will be held at the Closing Location at ----- p.m., New York
City time, on the New York Business Day next preceding such Time of Delivery, at
which meeting the final drafts of the documents to be delivered pursuant to the
preceding sentence will be available for review by the parties hereto. For the
purposes of this Section 4, "New York Business Day" shall mean each Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday which is not a day on which banking
institutions in New York are generally authorized or obligated by law or
executive order to close.

     5. The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters:

     (a) To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such
Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission's
close of business on the second business day following the execution and
delivery of this Agreement, or, if applicable, such earlier time as may be
required by Rule 430A(a)(3) under the Act; to make no further amendment or any
supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus prior to the last Time of
Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice
thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time
when any amendment to the Registration Statement has

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been filed or becomes effective or any supplement to the Prospectus or any
amended Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to
file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements
required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section
13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the
Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus is required in
connection with the offering or sale of the Shares; to advise you, promptly
after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission or any stop
order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary
Prospectus or prospectus, of the suspension of the qualification of the Shares
for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of
any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the
amending or supplementing of the Registration Statement or Prospectus or for
additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or
of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or
prospectus or suspending any such qualification, promptly to use its best
efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order;

     (b) Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably
request to qualify the Shares for offering and sale under the securities laws of
such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to
permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for
as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Shares, provided
that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a
foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any
jurisdiction;

     (c) Prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the New York Business Day
next succeeding the date of this Agreement and from time to time, to furnish the
Underwriters with copies of the Prospectus in New York City in such quantities
as you may reasonably request, and, if the delivery of a prospectus is required
at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the time of issue of
the Prospectus in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares and if at
such time any events shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as
then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material
fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the
statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made
when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason
it shall be necessary during such period to amend or supplement the Prospectus
or to file under the Exchange Act any document incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus in order to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act, to notify you
and upon your request to file such document and to prepare and furnish without
charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many copies as you
may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a
supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or
effect such compliance, and in case any Underwriter is required to deliver a
prospectus in connection with sales of any of the Shares at any time nine months
or more after the time of issue of the Prospectus, upon your request but at the
expense of such Underwriter, to prepare and deliver to such Underwriter as many
copies as you may request of an amended or supplemented Prospectus complying
with Section 10(a)(3) of the Act;

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     (d) To make generally available to its securityholders as soon as
practicable, but in any event not later than eighteen months after the effective
date of the Registration Statement (as defined in Rule 158(c) under the Act), an
earnings statement of the Company and its subsidiaries (which need not be
audited) complying with Section 11(a) of the Act and the rules and regulations
of the Commission thereunder (including, at the option of the Company, Rule
158);

     (e) During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and
including the date 90 days after the date of the Prospectus, not to offer, sell,
contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, except as provided hereunder, any
securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Shares,
including but not limited to any securities that are convertible into or
exchangeable for, or that represent the right to receive, Stock or any such
substantially similar securities (other than pursuant to employee stock option
plans existing on, or upon the conversion or exchange of convertible or
exchangeable securities outstanding as of, the date of this Agreement), without
your prior written consent;

     (f) To furnish to its shareholders as soon as practicable after the end of
each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of
income, shareholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated
subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as
practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal
year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the effective date of the
Registration Statement), to make available to its shareholders consolidated
summary financial information of the Company and its subsidiaries for such
quarter in reasonable detail;

     (g) During a period of five years from the effective date of the
Registration Statement, to furnish to you copies of all reports or other
communications (financial or other) furnished to shareholders, and to deliver
to you (i) as soon as they are available, copies of any reports and financial
statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities
exchange on which any class of securities of the Company is listed; and (ii)
such additional information concerning the business and financial condition of
the Company as you may from time to time reasonably request (such financial
statements to be on a consolidated basis to the extent the accounts of the
Company and its subsidiaries are consolidated in reports furnished to its
shareholders generally or to the Commission);

     (h) To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Shares
pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Prospectus under the
caption "Use of Proceeds"; and

     (i) If the Company elects to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Company shall file
a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement with the Commission in compliance with Rule
462(b) by 10:00 P.M., Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement, and
the Company shall at the time of filing either pay to the Commission the filing
fee for the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement or give irrevocable instructions
for the payment of such fee pursuant to Rule 111(b) under the Act.

                                       11
<PAGE>   12
     [6. The Company and the Selling Stockholder covenant and agree with one
another and with the several Underwriters that (a) the Selling Stockholder will
pay or cause to be paid the following: (i) the fees and expenses of its counsel
and accountants; (ii) the underwriters' discount; (iii) all expenses in
connection with the qualification of the Shares for offering and sale under
state securities laws as provided in Section 5(b) hereof, including the fees and
disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such
qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky survey; (iv) all filing fees
with the Commission; (v) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and
disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with, securing any
required review by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. of the
terms of the sale of the Shares; and (vi) all other costs and expenses incident
to the performance of the Selling Shareholder's obligations hereunder which are
not otherwise specifically provided in this Section, including those expenses
that the Selling Shareholder agreed to pay in the Stock Purchase Agreement dated
September 21, 1998 between the Company and the Selling Shareholder; and (b) the
Company will pay or cause to be paid: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses
of the Company's counsel and accountants in connection with the registration of
the Shares under the Act and all other expenses in connection with the
preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus and amendments and supplements thereto and the
mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers; (ii)
the cost of printing or producing any Agreement among Underwriters, this
Agreement, the Blue Sky Memorandum, closing documents (including any
compilations thereof) and any other documents in connection with the offering,
purchase, sale and delivery of the Shares; (iii) the cost of preparing stock
certificates; (iv) the cost and charges of any transfer agent or registrar and
[the Custodian]; and (v) all other costs and expenses incident to the
performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically
provided for in this Section; and (c)[the Selling Stockholder] will pay or cause
to be paid all expenses and taxes incident to the sale and delivery of the
Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholder to the Underwriters hereunder. In
connection with clause (b)(iii) of the preceding sentence, Goldman, Sachs & Co.
agrees to pay New York State stock transfer tax, and [the Selling Stockholder]
agrees to reimburse Goldman, Sachs & Co. for associated carrying costs if such
tax payment is not rebated on the day of payment and for any portion of such tax
payment not rebated. It is understood, however, that the Company shall bear, and
the Selling Stockholder shall not be required to pay or to reimburse the Company
for, the cost of any other matters not directly relating to the sale and
purchase of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement, and that, except as provided
in this Section, and Sections 8 and 11 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of
their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, stock
transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising
expenses connected with any offers they may make.]

     7. The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder, as to the Shares to be
delivered at each Time of Delivery, shall be subject, in their discretion, to
the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of
the Company and of the Selling Stockholder herein are, at and as of such Time of
Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company and the Selling

                                       12

<PAGE>   13
Stockholder shall have performed all of its and their obligations 
hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional 
conditions:

          (a) The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant
     to Rule 424(b) within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing
     by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section
     5(a) hereof; if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 462(b), the Rule
     462(b) Registration Statement shall have become effective by 10:00 P.M.,
     Washington, D.C. time, on the date of this Agreement; no stop order
     suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part
     thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall
     have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for
     additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been
     complied with to your reasonable satisfaction;

          (b) Davis Polk & Wardwell, counsel for the Underwriters, shall have
     furnished to you such written opinion or opinions (a draft of each such
     opinion is attached as Annex II(a) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery,
     with respect to the matters covered in paragraphs (vii), (xi) (as to
     "Underwriting"), and (xiv) of subsection (c) below as well as such other
     related matters as you may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have
     received such papers and information as they may reasonably request to
     enable them to pass upon such matters;

          (c) Henderson, Daily, Withrow & DeVoe, counsel for the Company shall
     have furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of such opinion is
     attached as Annex II(b) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and
     substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

               (i) The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly
          existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of Indiana,
          with power and authority (corporate and other) to own its properties
          and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus;

               (ii) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth
          in the Prospectus, and all of the issued shares of capital stock of
          the Company (including the Shares being delivered at such Time of
          Delivery) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are
          fully paid and non-assessable; and the Shares conform to the
          description of the Stock contained in the Prospectus;

               (iii) The Company has been duly qualified as a foreign
          corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing
          under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases
          properties or conducts any business so as to require such
          qualification, or is subject to no material liability or disability by
          reason of failure to be so qualified in any such jurisdiction (such
          counsel being entitled to

                                       13

<PAGE>   14
rely in respect of the opinion in this clause upon opinions of local counsel and
in respect of matters of fact upon certificates of officers of the Company,
provided that such counsel shall state that they believe that both you and they
are justified in relying upon such opinions and certificates);

     (iv) Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated and is
validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of its
jurisdiction of incorporation; and all of the issued shares of capital stock of
each subsidiary have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid
and non-assessable, and (except for directors' qualifying shares and except as
otherwise set forth in the Prospectus) are owned directly or indirectly by the
Company, free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, equities or claims (such
counsel being entitled to rely in respect of the opinion in this clause upon
opinions of local counsel and in respect of matters of fact upon certificates of
officers of the Company or its subsidiaries, provided that such counsel shall
state that they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon
such opinions and certificates);

     (v) The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee
simple to all real property owned by them, in each case free and clear of all
liens, encumbrances and defects except such as are described in the Prospectus
or such as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not
interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the
Company and its subsidiaries; and any real property and buildings held under
lease by the Company and its subsidiaries are held by them under valid,
subsisting and enforceable leases with such exceptions as are not material and
do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property and
buildings by the Company and its subsidiaries (in giving the opinion in this
clause, such counsel may state that no examination of record titles for the
purpose of such opinion has been made, and that they are relying upon a general
review of the titles of the Company and its subsidiaries, upon opinions of local
counsel and abstracts, reports and policies of title companies rendered or
issued at or subsequent to the time of acquisition of such property by the
Company or its subsidiaries, upon opinions of counsel to the lessors of such
property and, in respect of matters of fact, upon certificates of officers of
the Company or its subsidiaries, provided that such counsel shall state that
they believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such opinions,
abstracts, reports, policies and certificates);

     (vi) To the best of such counsel's knowledge and other than as set forth in
the Prospectus, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject which, if determined
adversely to


                                       14
<PAGE>   15
the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate
have a material adverse effect on the current or future consolidated financial
position shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and its
subsidiaries; and, to the best of such counsel's knowledge, no such proceedings
are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by
others;

     (vii) This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by
the Company;

     (viii) The issue and sale of the Shares being delivered at such Time of
Delivery and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this
Agreement and the consummation of the transactions herein contemplated will not
conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or
provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of
trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument known to such counsel to
which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company
or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of
the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, nor will such action result
in any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or
By-laws of the Company or any statute or any order, rule or regulation known to
such counsel of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction
over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties;

     (ix) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or
qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is
required for the sale of the Shares or the consummation by the Company of the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except the registration under the
Act of the Shares, and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations
or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in
connection with the purchase and distribution of the Shares by the Underwriters;

     (x) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its
Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws or in default in the performance or
observance of any material obligation, agreement, covenant or condition
contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement, or lease or
agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of
its properties may be bound;

     (xi) The statements set forth in the Prospectus under the caption
"Description of Capital Stock", insofar as they purport to constitute a summary
of the terms of the Stock, and under the caption "Underwriting", insofar as they
purport to


                                       15
<PAGE>   16
describe the provisions of the laws and documents referred to therein, are
accurate, complete and fair;

     (xii) The Company is not an "investment company", as such term is defined
in the Investment Company Act; and

     (xiii) The documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to such Time
of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein,
as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they become effective or
were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, complied as to form in all
material respects with the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as
applicable and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder; and they
have no reason to believe that any of such documents, when such documents became
effective or were so filed, as the case may be, contained, in the case of a
registration statement which became effective under the Act, an untrue statement
of a material fact, or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated
therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or, in the
case of other documents which were filed under the Exchange Act with the
Commission, an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a
material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of
the circumstances under which they were made when such documents were so filed,
not misleading; and

     (xiv) The Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any further
amendments and supplements thereto made by the Company prior to such Time of
Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein, as
to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material
respects with the requirements of the Act and the rules and regulations
thereunder; although they do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy,
completeness or fairness of the statements contained in the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, except for those referred to in the opinion in
subsection (xi) of this Section 7(c), they have no reason to believe that, as of
its effective date, the Registration Statement or any further amendment thereto
made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the financial
statements and related schedules therein, as to which such counsel need express
no opinion) contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state
a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the
statements therein not misleading or that, as of its date, the Prospectus or any
further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to such Time
of Delivery (other than the financial statements and related schedules therein,
as to which such counsel need express no opinion) contained an untrue statement
of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the
statements


                                       16
<PAGE>   17
     therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
     misleading or that, as of such Time of Delivery, either the Registration
     Statement or the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto
     made by the Company prior to such Time of Delivery (other than the
     financial statements and related schedules therein, as to which such
     counsel need express no opinion) contains an untrue statement of a material
     fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements
     therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not
     misleading; and they do not know of any amendment to the Registration
     Statement required to be filed or of any contracts or other documents of a
     character required to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement
     or required to be incorporated by reference into the Prospectus or required
     to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which are
     not filed or incorporated by reference or described or required;

     (d)  Barnes & Thornburg, counsel for the Selling Stockholder shall have 
furnished to you their written opinion (a draft of each such opinion is 
attached as Annex II(c) hereto), dated such Time of Delivery, in form and 
substance satisfactory to you, to the effect that:

          (i)  A Custody Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the
     Selling Stockholder and constitutes valid and binding agreement of the
     Selling Stockholder in accordance with its terms;

          (ii) This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by or on
     behalf of the Selling Stockholder; and the sale of the Shares hereunder and
     the compliance by the Selling Stockholder with all of the provisions of
     this Agreement and the Custody Agreement and the consummation of the
     transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or
     result in a breach or violation of any terms of provisions of, or
     constitute a default under, any statute, indenture, mortgage, deed of
     trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument known to such
     counsel to which the Selling Stockholder is a party or by which the Selling
     Stockholder is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the
     Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will such action result in any
     violation of the provisions of the Nina Mason Pulliam Revocable Trust 
     dated August 24, 1990 of the Selling Stockholder or any order, rule or
     regulation known to such counsel of any court or governmental agency or
     body having jurisdiction over the Selling Stockholder or the property of
     the Selling Stockholder;

          (iii) No consent, approval, authorization or order of any court or
     governmental agency or body is required for the consummation of the
     transactions contemplated by this Agreement in connection with the Shares
     to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, except such as have been
     obtained under the Act and such as may be required under state securities
     or Blue Sky laws in connection with


                                       17
<PAGE>   18
          the purchase and distribution of such Shares by the Underwriters;

          (iv) Immediately prior to such Time of Delivery, the Selling
          Stockholder had good and valid title to the Shares to be sold at such
          Time of Delivery under this Agreement, free and clear of all liens,
          encumbrances, equities or claims, and full right, power and authority
          to sell, assign, transfer and deliver the Shares to be sold hereunder;
          and

          (v) Good and valid title to such Shares, free and clear of all liens,
          encumbrances, equities or claims, has been transferred to each of the
          several Underwriters who have purchased such Shares in good faith and
          without notice of any such lien, encumbrance, equity or claim or any
          other adverse claim or any other adverse claim within the meaning of
          the Uniform Commercial Code.

     In rendering the opinion in paragraph (iv), such counsel may rely upon a
certificate of such Selling Stockholder in respect of matters of fact as to
ownership of, and liens, encumbrances, equities or claims on, the Shares sold by
the Selling Stockholder, provided that such counsel shall state that they
believe that both you and they are justified in relying upon such certificate;

          (e) On the date of the Prospectus at a time prior to the execution of
     this Agreement, at 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on the effective date of
     any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement filed subsequent
     to the date of this Agreement and also at each Time of Delivery,
     PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Olive & Co. LLP (formerly, Geo. S. Olive &
     Co., LLC) shall have furnished to you a letter or letters, dated the
     respective dates of delivery thereof, in form and substance satisfactory to
     you, to the effect set forth in Annex I hereto [(the executed copy of the
     letter delivered prior to the execution of this Agreement is attached as
     Annex I(a) hereto and a draft of the form of letter to be delivered on the
     effective date of any post-effective amendment to the Registration
     Statement and as of each Time of Delivery is attached as Annex I(b)
     hereto)];

          (f) (i) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries shall have
     sustained since the date of the latest audited financial statements
     included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus any loss or
     interference with its business from fire, explosion, flood or other
     calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor dispute or
     court or governmental action, order or decree, otherwise than as set forth
     or contemplated in the Prospectus, and (ii) since the respective dates as
     of which information is given in the Prospectus there shall not have been
     any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of
     its subsidiaries or any change, or any development involving a prospective
     change, in or affecting the general affairs, management, financial
     position, shareholders' equity or results of operations of the Company and
     its subsidiaries, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the
     Prospectus, the effect of which, in any such case


                                       18
<PAGE>   19
          described in Clause (i) or (ii), is in the judgment of the
          Representatives so material and adverse as to make it impracticable or
          inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or the delivery of the
          Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on the terms and in
          the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

          (g)  On or after the date hereof (i) no downgrading shall have
          occurred in the rating accorded the Company's debt securities by any
          "nationally recognized statistical rating organization", as that term
          is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the
          Act, and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that
          it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative
          implications, its rating of any of the Company's debt securities;

          (h)  On or after the date hereof that shall not have occurred any of
          the following: (i) a suspension or material limitation in trading in
          securities generally on the New York Stock Exchange (the "Exchange");
          (ii) a suspension or material limitation in trading in the Company's
          securities on the Exchange; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial
          banking activities declared by either Federal or New York State
          authorities; or (iv) the outbreak or escalation of hostilities
          involving the United States or the declaration by the United States of
          a national emergency or war, if the effect of any such event specified
          in this Clause (iv) in the judgment of the Representatives makes it
          impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the public offering or
          the delivery of the Shares being delivered at such Time of Delivery on
          the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Prospectus;

          (i)  The Shares at such Time of Delivery shall have been duly listed,
          subject to notice of issuance, on the Exchange; and

          (j)  The Company has obtained and delivered to the Underwriters
          executed copies of the lock-up agreements from each of the officers,
          directors and 5% or more shareholders of the Company, substantially to
          the effect set forth in Subsection 1(b)(iv) hereof in form and
          substance satisfactory to you;

          (k)  The Company shall have complied with the provisions of Section
          5(c) hereof with respect to the furnishing of prospectuses on the New
          York Business Day next succeeding the date of this Agreement; and

          (l)  The Company and the Selling Stockholder shall have furnished or
          caused to be furnished to you at such Time of Delivery certificates of
          officers of the Company and of the Selling Stockholder, respectively,
          satisfactory to you as to the accuracy of the representations and
          warranties of the Company and the Selling Stockholder, respectively,
          herein at and as of such Time of Delivery, as to the performance by
          the Company and the Selling Stockholder of all of their respective
          obligations hereunder to be performed at or prior to such Time of


                                       19
<PAGE>   20
     Delivery, and as to such matters as you may reasonably request, and the
     Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished certificates as to
     the matters set forth in the subsections (a) and (f) of this Section.

     8.  (a) The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter
against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which
such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such
losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out
of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or arise
out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a
material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements
therein not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or
other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with
investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are
incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such
case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of
or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement
or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in
conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter
through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein.

     (b) The Selling Stockholder will indemnify and hold harmless each
Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or
several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement
thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to
state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to
the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon
and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the
Selling Stockholder expressly for use therein; and will reimburse each
Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such
Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or
claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Selling
Stockholder shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such
loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue
statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in
any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or any
such amendment or supplement in reliance upon and in conformity with written
information furnished to the Company by any Underwriting through Goldman, Sachs
& Co. expressly for use therein.


                                       20
<PAGE>   21
     (c) Each Underwriter will indemnify and hold harmless the Company and the
Selling Stockholder against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which
the Company or such Selling Stockholder may become subject, under the Act or
otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in
respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon an untrue statement or alleged
untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement
thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to
state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to
the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission
or alleged omission was made in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement in reliance upon
and in conformity with written information, furnished to the Company by such
Underwriting through Goldman, Sachs & Co. expressly for use therein; and will
reimburse the Company and the Selling Stockholder for any legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred by the Company or the Selling Stockholder in
connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such
expenses are incurred.

     (d) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a),
(b) or (c) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified
party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the
indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in
writing of the commencement thereof; but the omission so to notify the
indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have to
any indemnified party otherwise than under such subsection. In case any such
action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the
indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be
entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly
with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense
thereof, with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not,
except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying
party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party
of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall
not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal
expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently
incurred by such indemnified party, in connection with the defense thereof other
than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the
written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise
of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or
threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution
may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or
potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or
judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all
liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a
statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or
on behalf of any indemnified party.

     (c) If the indemnification provided for in this Section 8 is unavailable to
or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a), (b)
or (c) above in respect of any losses,


                                       21
<PAGE>   22
claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect there of) referred to
therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or
payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or
liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate
to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling
Stockholder on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering
of the Shares. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding
sentence is not permitted by applicable law or if the indemnified party failed
to give the notice required under subsection (d) above, then each indemnifying
party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party
in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits
but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholder on the
one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or
omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or
actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling
Stockholder on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to
be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before
deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Stockholder bear to
the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters,
in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The
relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among others things, whether
the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or
alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the
Company or the Selling Stockholder on the one hand or the Underwriters on the
other and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and
opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company, the
Selling Stockholder and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and
equitable if contributions pursuant to this subsection (e) were determined by
pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for
such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account
of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (e). The
amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses,
claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above
in this subsection (e) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating
or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this
subsection (e), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in
excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Shares underwritten
by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the
amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay
by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged
omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning
of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution form any person
who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters'
obligations in this subsection (e) to contribute are several in proportion to
their respective underwriting obligations and not joint.

     (f) The obligations of the Company and the Selling Stockholder under this
Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company and the
Selling Stockholder may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and
conditions, to each person, if any, who controls any



                                       22
<PAGE>   23
Underwriter within the meaning of the Act; and the obligations of the
Underwriters under this Section 8 shall be in addition to any liability which
the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same
terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company (including any
person who, with his or her consent, is named in the Registration Statement as
about to become a director of the Company) and to each person, if any, who
controls the Company or the Selling Stockholder within the meaning of the Act.

     9. (a) If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the
Shares which it has agreed to purchase hereunder at a Time of Delivery, you may
in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase
such Shares on the terms contained herein. If within thirty-six hours after such
default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares,
then the Selling Stockholder shall be entitled to a further period of thirty-six
hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you
to purchase such Shares on such terms. In the event that, within the respective
prescribed periods, you notify the Selling Stockholder that you have so arranged
for the purchase of such Shares, or the Selling Stockholder notify you that it
has so arranged for the purchase of such Shares, you or the Selling Stockholder
shall have the right to postpone (a) Time of Delivery for a period of not more
than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made
necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other
documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any
amendments to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion
may thereby be made necessary. The term "Underwriter" as used in this Agreement
shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if
such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such
Shares.

     (b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Selling
Stockholder as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such
Shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate
number of all the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, then the
Selling Stockholder shall have the right to require each non-defaulting
Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to
purchase hereunder at such Time of Delivery and, in addition, to require each
non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the number
of Shares which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Shares of
such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not
been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from
liability for its default.

     (c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the
Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Selling
Stockholder as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate number of such
Shares which remains unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate number of
all of the Shares to be purchased at such Time of Delivery, or if the Selling
Stockholder shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to
require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Shares of a defaulting
Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement

                                       23


<PAGE>   24
(or, with respect to the Second Time of Delivery, the obligations of the
Underwriters to purchase and of the Selling Stockholder to sell the Optional
Shares) shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any
non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company or the Selling Stockholder, except for
the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Selling Stockholder and the
Underwriters as provided in Section 6 hereof and the indemnity and contribution
agreements in Section 8 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting
Underwriter from liability for its default.

     10. The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and
other statements of the Company, the Selling Stockholder and the several
Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them,
respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect,
regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof)
made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any
Underwriter, or the Company, or the Selling Stockholder, or any officer or
director or controlling person of the Company, or any controlling person of the
Selling Stockholder, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.

     11. If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 9 hereof,
neither the Company nor the Selling Stockholder shall then be under any
liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 6 and 8 hereof; but,
if for any other reason any Shares are not delivered by or on behalf of the
Selling Stockholder as provided herein, the Selling Stockholder pro rata (based
on the number of Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder), will
reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out-of-pocket expenses approved
in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably
incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and
delivery of the Shares not so delivered, but the Company and the Selling
Stockholder shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter in
respect of the Shares not so delivered except as provided in Sections 6 and 8
hereof.

     12. In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the
Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any
statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or
given by you [jointly or by Goldman, Sachs & Co. on behalf of you as the
representatives]; and in all dealings with the Selling Stockholder hereunder,
you and the Company shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement,
request, notice or agreement on behalf of such Selling Stockholder made or given
by any or all of the authorized trustees for such Selling Stockholder.

     All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in
writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or
facsimile transmission to you as the representatives in care of Goldman, Sachs &
Co., 32 Old Slip, 9th Floor, New York, New York 10005, Attention: Registration
Department; if to the Selling Stockholder shall be delivered or sent by mail,
telex or facsimile transmission to counsel for such Selling Stockholder at its
address set forth in Schedule II hereto; and if to the Company shall be
delivered or sent by mail, telex or



                                       24

<PAGE>   25
facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the
Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice
to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 8(d) hereof shall be delivered or sent by
mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set
forth in its Underwriters' Questionnaire or telex constituting such
Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company or the Selling
Stockholder by you on request. Any such statements, requests, notices or
agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.

     13. This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit
of, the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholder and, to the extent
provided in Sections 8 and 10 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company
and each person who controls the Company, the Selling Stockholder or any
Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors
and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by
virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Shares from any Underwriter
shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase.

     14. Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the
term "business day" shall mean any day when the Commission's office in
Washington, D.C. is open for business.

     15. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the laws of the State of New York.

     16. This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto
in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original,
but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument.

     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and
return to us one for the Company and each of the Representatives plus one for
each counsel and the Custodian, if any counterparts hereof, and upon the
acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and
such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement among each of the
Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholder. It is understood that
your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant
to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form
of which shall be submitted to the Company and the Selling Stockholder for
examination, upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority
of the signers thereof.


                                       25


<PAGE>   26
     Any person executing and delivering this Agreement on behalf of the Selling
Stockholder represents by so doing that he has been duly authorized by the 
Selling Stockholder.


                                        Very truly yours,

                                        Central Newspapers, Inc.

                                        By:____________________________________
                                           Name:
                                           Title:

                                        Nina Mason-Pulliam Charitable Trust

                                        By:____________________________________
                                           Name:  Frank E. Russell
                                           Title: Authorized Trustee

                                           On behalf of the Selling Stockholder
                                           named in Schedule II to this
                                           Agreement.



Accepted as of the date hereof in 
      New York, New York

Goldman, Sachs & Co.
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corporation

By:________________________________________________
               (Goldman, Sachs & Co.)

On behalf of each of the Underwriters




                                       26
<PAGE>   27

                                   SCHEDULE I



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>                                                   Number of Optional
                                     Total Number of     Shares to be Purchased
                                    Firm Shares to be       if Maximum Option
     Underwriters                       Purchased               Exercised
     ------------                   -----------------    ----------------------
<S>                                 <C>                     <C>
Goldman, Sachs & Co...............
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette
  Securities Corporation..........
[Names of other Underwriters].....






                                    -----------------    ----------------------

Total.............................     1,162,478                     174,372

</TABLE>






                                       27
<PAGE>   28


                                   SCHEDULE II



<TABLE>
<CAPTION>                                                   Number of Optional
                                         Total Number of   Shares to be Sold if
                                          Firm Shares to      Maximum Option
     The Selling Stockholder               be Purchased         Exercised
     -----------------------            -----------------  --------------------
<S>                                     <C>                <C>
Nina Mason-Pulliam Charitable Trust....         1,162,478               174,372

</TABLE>







                                       28
<PAGE>   29
                                                                         ANNEX I


     Pursuant to Section 7(d) of the Underwriting Agreement, the accountants
shall furnish letters to the Underwriters to the effect that:

     (i) They are independent certified public accountants with respect to the
Company and its subsidiaries within the meaning of the Act and the applicable
published rules and regulations thereunder;

     (ii) In their opinion, the financial statements and any supplemental
financial information and schedules (and, if applicable, financial forecasts
and/or pro forma financial information) examined by them and included or
incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply
as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements
of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the related published rules
and regulations thereunder; and, if applicable, they have made a review in
accordance with standards established by the American Institute of Certified
Public Accountants of the consolidated interim financial statements, selected
financial data, pro forma financial information, financial forecasts and/or
condensed financial statements derived from audited financial statements of the
Company for the periods specified in such letter, as indicated in their reports
thereon, copies of which have been separately furnished to the representatives
of the Underwriters (the "Representatives") and are attached hereto;

     (iii) They have made a review in accordance with standards established by
the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants of the unaudited
condensed consolidated statements of income, consolidated balance sheets and
consolidated statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus and/or included
in the Company's quarterly report of Form 10-Q incorporated by reference into
the Prospectus as indicated in their reports thereon copies of which have been
separately furnished to the Representatives are attached hereto; and on the
basis of specified procedures including inquiries of officials of the Company
who have responsibility for financial and accounting matters regarding whether
the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements referred to in
paragraph (vi)(A)(i) below comply as to form in all material respects with the
applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the
related published rules and regulations, nothing came to their attention that
caused them to believe that the unaudited condensed consolidated financial
statements do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable
accounting requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act and the related
published rules and regulations;

     (iv) The unaudited selected financial information with respect to the
consolidated results of operations and financial position of the Company for the
five most recent fiscal
<PAGE>   30
years included in the Prospectus and included or incorporated by reference in
Item 6 of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal
year agrees with the corresponding amounts (after restatement where applicable)
in the audited consolidated financial statements for such five fiscal years
which were included or incorporated by reference in the Company's Annual Reports
of Form 10-K for such fiscal years;

     (v) They have compared the information in the Prospectus under selected
captions with the disclosure requirements of Regulation S-K and on the basis of
limited procedures specified in such letter nothing came to their attention as a
result of the foregoing procedures that caused them to believe that this
information does not conform in all material respects with the disclosure
requirements of Items 301, 302, 402 and 503(d), respectively, of Regulation S-K;

     (vi) On the basis of limited procedures, not constituting an examination in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, consisting of a reading
of the unaudited financial statements and other information referred to below, a
reading of the latest available interim financial statements of the Company and
its subsidiaries, inspection of the minute books of the Company and its
subsidiaries since the date of the latest audited financial statements included
or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus, inquiries of officials of the
Company and its subsidiaries responsible for financial and accounting matters
and such other inquiries and procedures as may be specified in such letter,
nothing came to their attention that caused them to believe that:

          (A)(i) the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of income,
     consolidated balance sheets and consolidated statements of cash flows
     included in the Prospectus and/or included or incorporated by reference in
     the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q incorporated by reference in
     the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the
     applicable accounting requirements of the Exchange Act as it applies to
     Form 10-Q and the related published rules and regulations, or (ii) any
     material modifications should be made to the unaudited condensed
     consolidated statements of income, consolidated balance sheets and
     consolidated statements of cash flows included in the Prospectus or
     included in the Company's Quarterly Reports of Form 10-Q incorporated by
     reference in the Prospectus, for them to be in conformity with generally
     accepted accounting principles;

          (B) any other unaudited income statement data and balance sheet items
     included in the Prospectus so not agree with the corresponding items in the
     unaudited consolidated financial statements from which such data and items
     were derived, and any such unaudited data and items were not determined on
     a basis substantially consistent with the basis for the corresponding
     amount in the audited consolidated


                                       2
<PAGE>   31
financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year;

     (C) the unaudited financial statements which were not included in the
Prospectus but from which were derived the unaudited condensed financial
statements referred to in Clause (A) and any unaudited income statement data and
balance sheet items included in the Prospectus and referred to in Clause (B)
were not determined on a basis substantially consistent with the basis for the
audited financial statements included or incorporated by reference in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year;

     (D) any unaudited pro forma consolidated condensed financial statements
included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus do not comply as to form
in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act
and the published rules and regulations thereunder or the pro forma adjustments
have not been properly applied to the historical amounts in the compilation of
those statements;

     (E) as of a specified date not more than five days prior to the date of
such letter, there have been any changes in the consolidated capital stock
(other than issuances of capital stock upon exercise of options and stock
appreciation rights, upon earn-outs of performance shares and upon conversions
of convertible securities, in each case which were outstanding on the date of
the latest balance sheet included or incorporated by reference in the
Prospectus) or any increase in the consolidated long-term debt of the Company
and its subsidiaries, or any decreases in consolidated net current assets or
stockholders' equity or any other items specified by the Representatives, or any
increases in any items specified by the Representatives, in each case as
compared with amounts shown in the latest balance sheet included or incorporated
by reference in the Prospectus, except in each case for changes, increases or
decreases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur or which are
described in such letter; and

     (F) for the period from the date of the latest financial statements
included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus to the specified date
referred to in Clause (E) there were any decreases in consolidated net revenues
or operating profit or the total or per share amounts of consolidated net
income or other items specified by the Representatives, or any increases in any
items specified by the Representatives, in each case as compared with the
comparable period of the preceding year and with any other period of
corresponding length specified by the Representatives, except in each case for
increases or decreases which the Prospectus discloses have occurred or may occur
or which are described in such letter; and


                                       3
<PAGE>   32
          (vii) In addition to the examination referred to in their report(s)
     included or incorporated by reference in the Prospectus and the limited
     procedures, inspection of minute books, inquiries and other procedures
     referred to in paragraphs (iii) and (vi) above, they have carried out
     certain specified procedures, not constituting an examination in accordance
     with generally accepted auditing standards, with respect to certain
     amounts, percentages and financial information specified by the
     Representatives which are derived from the general accounting records of
     the Company and its subsidiaries, which appear in the Prospectus (excluding
     documents incorporated by reference) or in Part II of, or in exhibits and
     schedules to, the Registration Statement specified by the Representatives
     or in documents incorporated by reference in the Prospectus specified by
     the Representatives, and have compared certain of such amounts, percentages
     and financial information with the accounting records of the Company and
     its subsidiaries and have found them to be in agreement.





























                                       4
<PAGE>   33

                                                                     ANNEX II(a)
                 [Insert form of Underwriters' Counsel Opinion]

<PAGE>   34
                                                                     ANNEX II(b)
                    [Insert form of Company Counsel Opinion]
<PAGE>   35
                                                                     ANNEX II(c)
             [Insert form of Selling Shareholder's Counsel Opinion]