Andrew Lack to Join Sony Music Entertainment as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Lack has been named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Music Entertainment (SME), it was announced today by Howard Stringer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation of America (SCA).

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030110/NYF061 )

Mr. Lack, who has been President and Chief Operating Officer of NBC since June 2001, and President of NBC News for eight years prior to that, will join Sony in early February. He will be headquartered in New York City and report to Mr. Stringer.

"We are delighted that Andy will join Sony and lead our Music company," said Mr. Stringer in making this announcement." He is the most rare of senior entertainment executives, equally adept at business, management, strategy and value creation, as well as a consummate and proven developer of content, talent and ideas. His skills and energy will be of enormous value as we move to transform our music business in this most challenging time for that industry."

"I am very pleased to welcome Andy to Sony," said Nobuyuki Idei, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sony Corporation. "His years working with Jack Welch and the GE team, together with his first hand experience with content creation, consumer habits and tastes, will be a tremendous asset to our entire company. In addition, his awareness of global issues and knowledge of distribution systems and technology will enable him to move quickly as we reengineer our music operations."

"This is a pivotal point in the evolution of all content business," said Mr. Lack. "Sony, through its device and content companies is at the nexus of that evolution, and is poised to be the leader in content creation and distribution in the digital age. I am thrilled to have been asked to join Sony Music Entertainment, to help define and establish its primacy in this new era."

As President and Chief Operating Officer of NBC, Mr. Lack oversaw the operations of most of NBC's divisions, including Entertainment, News, Networks, Television Stations, Sales, Broadcasting & Network Operations, and cable networks (CNBC and MSNBC). Prior to that, as president of NBC News since April 1993, he transformed the News division into the most-watched news organization in the world. Today, NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, and Meet the Press are each number one in their time periods. The primetime franchise, Dateline NBC, is the top newsmagazine in key sales demographic categories and a significant part of NBC's primetime programming strategy. He also presided over NBC International and the creation of MSNBC, the joint venture of NBC and Microsoft, and oversaw the primetime programming of CNBC, the nation's number one financial news and information cable network. For four consecutive years, Lack was named the "Most Powerful Person in Television News" by Electronic Media, a leading industry trade publication.

Before coming to NBC, Lack spent much of his career at CBS News, where he created and served as the executive producer of the groundbreaking newsmagazine West 57th (1985-89). He served as the senior executive producer of the landmark CBS Reports for nearly a decade (1978-85), producing acclaimed documentaries such as "People Like Us" (1982), "Teddy" with Roger Mudd, "The Boat People" (1979), "The Defense of the United States" (1981), and "Bittersweet Memories: A Vietnam Reunion" (1981). He joined CBS News in 1976, and the following year became a producer for 60 Minutes.

Lack's broadcasts at CBS earned numerous honors, including 16 Emmy Awards, 4 Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Journalism Awards, 5 Ohio State Awards, an Overseas Press Club Award, and a George Polk Award, among others.

Born May 16, 1947, in New York City, Lack and received a bachelor of fine arts degree from the School of Fine Arts at Boston University in 1968. He lives in New York with his wife, Betsy Kenny Lack, their sons, Andrew and Sam, and Lack's daughter, Joanna.

About Sony Corporation of America

Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $56.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002, and it employs 168,000 people worldwide. Sony Corporation of America recorded over $18.5 billion in sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2002. Sony Corporation of America's homepage is: http://www.sony.com/SCA/index.html

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment Inc. (SMEI) is a leading global recording company. The three divisions of SMEI are: Sony Music (the U.S. recording company comprised of Automatic Productions, Columbia Records Group, Epic Records Group, Sony Music Nashville, Legacy Recordings, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Sony Disc Manufacturing, Sony Music Distribution, Sony Music Custom Marketing Group, Sony Music Studios, and Sony Wonder); Sony Music International (active in over 67 countries through its network of wholly owned subsidiaries, joint ventures and licensees); and Sony Classical, which includes the Sony Classical Film & Video division.

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SOURCE: Sony Music Entertainment Inc./Sony Corporation of America

CONTACT: Ann Morfogen of Sony Corporation of America, +1-212-833-6873,
or Keith Estabrook of Sony Music Entertainment, +1-212-833-4647

Web site: http://www.sony.com/