SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported) December 19, 1997 WESTERN RESOURCES, INC. (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter) KANSAS 1-3523 48-0290150 (State or Other Jurisdiction of (Commission (Employer Incorporation or Organization) File Number) Identification No.) 818 KANSAS AVENUE, TOPEKA, KANSAS 66612 (Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code) Registrant's Telephone Number Including Area Code (785) 575-6300WESTERN RESOURCES, INC. Item 5. Other Events Western Resources herein files the following: Exhibit 99 - Press release and employee update issued December 19, 1997 regarding merger with Kansas City Power & Light Company. SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. Western Resources, Inc. Date January 5, 1998 By /s/ Jerry D. Courington Jerry D. Courington, Controller
Exhibit 99 WESTERN RESOURCES AND KCPL POSTPONE SPECIAL MEETINGS OF SHAREOWNERS The following statement was issued jointly by Western Resources and KCPL late Friday, December 19: Western Resources, Inc. (NYSE:WR) and Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCPL) (NYSE: KLT) announced today that they have postponed their respective special meetings of shareowners to vote on their Merger Agreement previously scheduled for January 21, 1998. The companies stated that representatives of Salomon Smith Barney, Western Resources' investment bankers, had indicated that they believe it is unlikely that Salomon would be in a position to issue a fairness opinion for the Western Resources/KCPL transaction on the basis of the previously announced terms for the transaction if the fairness to shareowners of Western Resources were formally submitted to the fairness committee of Salomon. A fairness opinion of Salomon is a condition to the mailing of proxy materials to shareowners of Western Resources. KCPL's investment bankers, Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., have met with Salomon representatives to discuss the reasons for Salomon's position. Both KCPL and Western Resources issued the following statement regarding the status of the proposed transaction: "We are prepared to meet in good faith to discuss the matter, and we pledge to use our best efforts to work together constructively to resolve the matter on a basis that is fair to the shareowners of both companies." The companies emphasized that it is impossible to predict the outcome of these efforts at the present time.