PR Newswire Names Senior Vice President of New Ventures

		PR NEWSWIRE CHRIS PEDERSON Chris Pederson, a veteran media business development executive for The Associated Press, has been named PR Newswire's senior vice president of new ventures. He will identify and pursue new opportunities for the company worldwide including potential acquisitions, partners and new products. The position was created as part of PR Newswire's global reorganization. (PRNewsFoto)[DM] NEW YORK, NY USA

NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Chris Pederson, a veteran media business development executive for The Associated Press, has been named PR Newswire's senior vice president of new ventures, Executive Vice President John M. Williams announced today. (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990630/HSW001B ) Pederson, who joins PR Newswire on July 1, will identify and pursue new opportunities for the company worldwide including potential acquisitions, partners and new products. The position was created as part of PR Newswire's global reorganization (please see accompanying release). "PR Newswire is poised for exciting new opportunities and Chris Pederson will be a valuable asset in discovering and evaluating them," Williams said. "He has successfully created information-driven businesses at The Associated Press and has the knowledge and insight to assist us with broadening our market base." Pederson leaves his position as director of content business development for AP, where he worked for 28 years in various news, technology and business development capacities, including founder and director of AP's Information Services Division. He also consults for Internet startups, providing assistance with strategy and business initiatives. He is the author of a "Revolutions Without Guns: Transforming the News Services," a chapter in the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center publication Demystifying Media Technology, Readings from the Freedom Forum Center (Columbia University, 1993). "For 45 years, the name PR Newswire has been synonymous with cutting-edge services for the public relations and investor relations communities," Pederson said. "I am proud to join the management team that will lead the company into the 21st Century by creating valuable new services and opening new markets that reach every corner of the globe." A native of Salt Lake City, Utah, he graduated from Utah State University with a degree in journalism. He resides in Southport, Conn. PR Newswire is the world leader in the electronic distribution of news releases to the media and financial community, having founded the industry 45 years ago. With 29 U.S. bureaus, five overseas bureaus, an exclusive partnership with Canada NewsWire, and its vast network of wire, fax, satellite, e-mail and Internet delivery, PR Newswire serves the news release needs of public relations and investor relations professionals worldwide. For more information, please contact: Renu Aldrich, PR Newswire, Manager of Public Relations, at Renu_Aldrich@prnewswire.com.