Observer Finland 90 years old

Oy Observer Finland Ab August 20, 2003 1(2) Press release August 20, 2003 Number of pages: 2 For immediate release Distribution: The essential media Observer Finland 90 years old 90 years of top expertise in media monitoring and marketing analysis Media monitoring has been a part of Finnish media industry for nearly a century now. Having kicked off as an agent conveying advertisements (under the corporate name Sanomalehtien Ilmoitustoimisto SITA), Observer Finland has during the decades expanded its operations into media monitoring and then later to editorial and analytical services. As a pioneer in the industry, Observer Finland is today the largest company specialised in media monitoring and business intelligence in Finland. The company provides with high-quality knowledge and analytical services - together with all media sources. Observer Finland celebrates its anniversary in form of a jubilee seminar. Observer Finland fills 90 years in September 6th, 2003. The company owned by Finnish newspapers was kicked off its operations in 1913 under the name SITA. Then the company mainly focused on conveying advertisements and media monitoring. In 1997 along the ownership of Scribona AB the operations expanded into the editorial and analytical services. At that point the company name was changed into Observer Finland. Today Observer Group is a listed company that operates in 13 countries and has co-partners in over 50 countries. Number one in media monitoring During the nearly century-long history the range of media has widened significantly, and so has the Observer media list. Observer Finland is the largest Finnish company specialised in media monitoring and analysis. Observer is the only company within the field covering all the media with the largest scale of media sources - print media, television, radio, news agencies, the Internet and other public information sources. The Observer media list consists 1,700 sources in Finland, and a total of 45,000 sources worldwide. Flow of information into tailored knowledge The monitoring of media sources is the core work at Observer. Out of the huge flow of information Observer picks up the required information, which is then tailored according to a customer's needs. The work is still largely manual brain work, even though the technological developments have brought along efficient tools for media monitoring, reporting and distribution to the customer companies. The modernisation has also changed the employees' working titles. Yesterday's readers, clippers and distributors are today's highly educated analysts and media monitorers. Observer Finland employs over 100 experts specialised in media monitoring and business intelligence. Those people cultivate the flow of information into tailored business knowledge tailored to the specific needs of corporate leadership, public relations, investment communications, marketing or sales personnel. Pioneer and developer 2 (2) Observer Finland is constantly developing new methods and tools together with its customers in order to build the customers' decision-making and corporate planning on essential and useful market knowledge. As the range of media and the flow of information are growing and also the companies are becoming more international, it is necessary to constantly develop modern tools of communication and analytical services. The development of methods, tools and specialist services along with the customer needs has kept Observer Finland as the market leader in the field of media monitoring and marketing analysis. In September Observer Finland celebrates its anniversary in a form of a seminar bringing Observer's clients and the media together. The speakers in the seminar represent the top level of the Finnish business life. Contacts Oy Observer Finland Ab Ms. Niina Mattila +358(0)9 686 131 +358(0)41 545 6654 niina.mattila@observer.fi Oy Observer Finland Ab Ms. Anne Sandström +358(0)9 6861 3314 +358(0)40 866 9136 anne.sandstrom@observer.fi The 90 years of Observer Finland 1913 SITA - Sanomalehtien Ilmoitustoimisto Oy - is founded 1989 Subsidiary of Sanoma Oy, Startel Oy, becomes the owner of SITA 1994 SITA to the ownership of Helsinki Media 1997 The business is changed under the ownership of Scribona Informationstjänster AB and named Oy Observer Finland Ab. The operations expand from media monitoring to editorial and analytical services. The profit of Observer Finland is doubled compared to 1996. 1998 Subgroup Scribona AB withdrawing from the parent company. The name of the group is changed into Sifo Group AB, which is also listed at the Stockholm bourse. The online media become a part of Observer Finland media monitoring. 1999 Already three decades of radio and TV media monitoring in Finland. BIT Intelligent Communication of Observer Group expands its operations into Finland. 2000 The name Sifo Group AB is changed into Observer AB. Observer Finland takes the responsibility of Observer's Baltic operations. Observer Finland's profit trebled compared to 1996. MTV3 Internet added to the list of Observer Finland online media monitoring. 2001 Amount of staff doubled compared to 1997. 2002 MediaPulse ("MediaPulssi") co-operation with Kauppalehti starts. 2003 Observer Finland 90 years. Observer Finland is today the largest company specialised in media monitoring and business intelligence in Finland. The company provides with high-quality knowledge and analytical services covering all the media. Observer Group, a knowledge group operating in 13 countries with co-partners in over 50 countries, is also listed in the Stockholm stock exchange. In 2002 the net sales of Observer Group were EUR 185 million. The group employs over 2,500 people, of which 112 in Finland. Oy Observer Finland Ab Tel. +358-9-686 131 Fax +358-9-6861 3300 www.observer.fi Post address: P.O. Box 141, 00151 HELSINKI Visiting address: Merimiehenkatu 36 D (3rd floor). 00150 HELSINKI ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/08/20/20030820BIT00650/wkr0001.doc http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2003/08/20/20030820BIT00650/wkr0002.pdf