Survey Conducted by Financial PR Firm Identifies Journalist Preferences; Journalist Internet Usage Grows Significantly.

Business Editors

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 2003

Thompson Becker International (TBI), a public relations and marketing firm servicing the financial industry, recently conducted an in-depth telephone survey with 120 financial journalists from both trade and consumer publications within the United States. The non-scientific survey was designed to establish the needs of the journalists, and to determine how they utilize various resources. This is the third press survey in a series conducted by TBI since 1997.

One of the goals of the survey was to identify how journalists access information. An astounding 92% of those surveyed visit the Web sites of the companies they write about, yet only 37% of them take advantage of Press Rooms. Usefulness of Web site Press Rooms was rated at 3.4 with 5 being very useful. While journalists appreciated this area being available on a site, many commented that they were unable to find contact information and information was out of date, making the Press Rooms less useful.

Financial journalists' usage of the Internet has grown significantly since TBI conducted its first press survey in 1997. At that time, only 37% of journalists were visiting mutual fund company Web sites on a regular basis. Of those that did visit the sites, most of their time was spent gathering performance data and accessing company news items and press releases. Press rooms were not common at the time of the 1997 survey, but the request for timely information on a company's Web site was a requirement, just as it is today.

When asked about other sources of investment company information, the majority of journalists indicated that they do not currently access the conference calls (56%) or Web casts (68%) of portfolio managers or publicly held companies. However, 74% of those surveyed say they would participate in these calls or Web casts if they were able to ask questions after the presentation, a practice few companies currently allow.

Founded in 1991, Thompson Becker International (TBI) offers public relations, investor relations and marketing communications expertise to companies in the financial services realm. TBI's award-winning programs assist clients in differentiating themselves while helping to grow their assets or customer base in an increasingly competitive marketplace. In 1998, TBI earned the prestigious Award for Communications Excellence (ACE) for their work on an investment company's sales literature system in the category of "Most Improved Communications". The TBI Web site (www.thompsonbecker.com) was awarded the Standard of Excellence Award from the Web Marketing Association in 2002. To request a complete copy of the survey and its results, call 508-695-9811.