Portland Public Relations Firm Launches Internet News Wire Service

Wolfe News Wire at www.wolfenews.com to post news releases of Maine companies and organizations

PORTLAND, Maine (February 17, 2000) á A local public relations firm that helps more than 15 companies and organizations gain exposure in the Maine, New England and U.S. media has created a "news wire" service on the Internet that will regularly post the full text of news releases of major companies such as Peoples Heritage Bank, B2Bexplorer.com, Martin's Point Health Care and the law firm of Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson.

The firm, Wolfe Public Relations, Inc., launched the site this week, but has added a new twist to bring media and others into the site. The headlines of new, featured releases will run in banner ads on key Maine home pages, including MaineToday.com, Press Herald Online and Maine Business Online to catch the eye of the public and the media. Those sites currently are viewed more than 150,000 times each month combined.

"It's primarily a site for the Maine and New England media, so they can access current and past press releases on these important companies at any time," said Beryl V. Wolfe, founder and president of Wolfe Public Relations, located in Portland's Old Port. "But we also hope the public and the business community will see the headlines on these key home pages, click on to the site, and read the news from these companies. It's a service for our clients, and I'm not sure any other PR firm is doing anything like it."

The site, located at www.wolfenews.com, also has an Archives section, a Recent Releases section and company profiles on most of the firm's clients. Members of the media are able to use any of the information contained in the news releases, which are written in AP style, checked for accuracy and can be e-mailed from the site.

"We designed the site so reporters and editors can use the information immediately," Ms. Wolfe added. "The media receive so much mail, phone calls and information. We thought we'd give them easy access to the official word while at the same time creating another avenue for the public to get news about our clients."

The firm's other current, longtime clients include Regional Transportation Program, Alpha One, Regional Waste Systems, Dragon Cement and Concrete, Granger Northern, R.W. Granger in Massachusetts, prominent Maine businessman Michael A. Liberty and Conifer Industries (which owns 15 KFCs in Maine). In addition to Peoples Heritage Bank and Peoples Heritage Financial Group, Wolfe Public Relations also assists in the publicity for the annual Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race. Releases and a current fact sheet on the race are now posted on the site.

Ms. Wolfe, who opened the firm seven years ago, is a former newspaper reporter and congressional press aide with more than 15 years in public relations. Her husband, Jason Wolfe, a former award-winning reporter at the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram and the Lewiston Sun Journal, is also a principal at the firm. Amy Tubb, formerly with Weber Public Relations Worldwide in Coral Gables, Florida, is the account services coordinator at the agency and will oversee the technical aspects of Wolfe News Wire.

For additional information about Wolfe News Wire, persons may call (207) 775-5115, or e- mail the firm at bwolfepr@gwi.net. The agency, presently located at 178 Middle Street in Portland, is moving to 44 Exchange Street in mid-March.

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