PR NEWS HONORS MICHAEL W. KEMPNER WITH LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AND ALISSA BLATE AS BRAND MARKETER OF THE YEAR

Joseph Cohen Receives Honorable Mention for Media Relations Professional of the Year

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., October 27, 2005 – MWW Group (www.mww.com), one of the nation’s top ten public relations firms, announced today that PR News recognized MWW President and CEO Michael W. Kempner with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Executive Vice President Alissa Blate as the Brand Marketer of the Year at the annual Platinum PR Awards and PR People Awards. Additionally, Senior Account Supervisor Joseph Cohen received an honorable mention in the Media Relations Professional of the Year category. The awards ceremony took place at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan on October 17.

“The winners of the PR News awards lend even more credence to PR’s role in moving markets, changing perceptions and building bridges among various and diverse constituencies,” said Diane Schwartz, vice president and publisher of PR News.

“For more than six decades, PR News has been one of the industry’s leading publications and these awards are a tremendous honor for Alissa, myself and our firm,” said Kempner. “I am incredibly proud of Alissa and am truly impressed and inspired by the leadership, creativity, passion, intelligence and dedication that she has brought to work every single day for the past eight years.”

PR News recognized Kempner for a lifetime of PR achievements, including founding and growing MWW from a one-person shop to a top ten public relations firm with eight offices nationwide and a staff of nearly 200 employees. Today, MWW is a leader throughout the PR industry and is known for its results-driven approach and work on behalf of such major brands as Sun Microsystems, McDonald’s, Nikon, Bally Total Fitness, Sara Lee, CIT Group, Roche and Oxford Health Plans, among many others.

Blate was honored for her ground-breaking work on behalf of MWW’s consumer lifestyle clients. To counter the negative publicity that long-term client McDonald’s was incurring because of the obesity epidemic, Blate and her team created “McDonald’s Real Life Choices” to showcase the fast food chain’s menu and educate consumers on how to enjoy the food they love without compromising their diets. On behalf of Nikon, Blate and her staff position many of the company’s digital cameras as “must haves” compared with competitors.

As a finalist for the media relations category, Cohen was praised for his “don’t take ‘no’ for an answer” approach and for working the celebrity circuit to benefit Bally Total Fitness, The Palm Restaurant chain and other clients.