PR Newswire

PR Newswire has been a valuable service to journalists since its founding in 1954, providing the raw material for news quickly, credibly and directly into their hands through its cutting-edge wire, fax, satellite and Internet network.

Over 70,000 journalists access PR Newswire's content online from its exclusive media web sites, while more than 22,000 media outlets receive the content from the wire, fax or e-mail. PR_Newswire also offers the media free interactive newsgathering tools from ProfNet to sophisticated online searches and e-mail delivery of news releases.

If you have any queries about PR Newswire, its clients or the services it provides, please contact mediasite@prnewswire.com

The History of PR Newswire

From New York Wire Service to International Information Distributor and Internet Company PR Newswire was created in 1954 to provide a new and improved way for public relations and investor relations practitioners to deliver news releases. Getting information to the media was a time-consuming and uncertain process before Herbert Muschel, the originator of TV Guide, founded PR Newswire. Today, PR Newswire continues to employ the fastest and best technology available to clear the hurdles to information delivery throughout the world.

In the early years, PR Newswire delivered news releases verbatim from public relations agencies, corporations and other sources to 12 major news points in New York over a private teleprinter network. PR Newswire would receive one copy of the news release and send it simultaneously via the circuit for a flat $15 charge per day, regardless of length of release or delivery. During a general newspaper strike in New York in the early 1960s, the teleprinter circuit expanded to papers in Philadelphia, Washington and Pittsburgh. In 1971, the company was sold to Western Union Corporation, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary until it was acquired in 1982 by United News & Media Group plc of London, now known as United Business Media Limited.

PR Newswire acquired local wire services and opened more bureaus across the country in the mid-1980s. In 1997, it purchased two of the largest remaining wire operations - Southwest Newswire in Dallas and PR News Service in Chicago - to create a true national distribution network reaching some 22,000 media outlets and 675,000 financial institutions directly. Through the Internet, PR Newswire copy is read by tens of thousands of journalists and investment professionals as well as millions of individual investors, business executives, consumers and others.

Having founded the industry, PR Newswire focuses on improving it through today's instant communications mechanisms. We provide the latest in multimedia tools from Conference Calls on the Web and video news releases to complete investor relations web sites and the cybercasting of press conferences, annual meetings and events. Every release and photo is sent to hundreds of premier online databases, web sites and online trading sites including our own highly popular home page and the PR Newswire for Journalist web site.

A series of acquisitions, ProfNet, NEWSdesk International, Two-Ten Communications and eWatch, coupled with new web-based products allow public relations and investor relations professionals worldwide to use the full interactive powers of the Internet and e-mail. ProfNet connects journalists with experts they need for their stories, while NEWSdesk has become a part of the PR Newswire for Journalists web site. Two-Ten, the largest distributor of corporate news in the UK, provides us with a strong base to support the developing public and investor relations markets in Europe. eWatch expands PR Newswire's core business into online measurement and results monitoring, enabling customers to track hits, rumor, perception and discussion on the Internet.

PR Newswire is the world leader in the electronic delivery of information directly from companies, institutions and agencies through its 14 worldwide bureaus, an exclusive partnership with Canada NewsWire and a vast system of international affiliates. Its cutting-edge wire, fax, satellite and Internet network is capable of pinpoint or mass distribution, satisfying the growing global demand for the immediate delivery of news releases and photos to the media, financial community and consumers.

For press releases from PR Newswire click here.

If you have any queries about PR Newswire, its clients or the services it provides please contact mediasite@prnewswire.com