MONTREAL--June 7, 2004-- Transcontinental Media is pleased to announce that its president, Andre Prefontaine, has just been appointed chairman of the board of The Canadian Press, an organization with which he has a long association. Mr. Prefontaine first joined the venerable Canadian news service in 1979 as a parliamentary correspondent, then went on to become its deputy bureau chief for Montreal and vice-president, marketing in Toronto. "Andre brings a terrific background to his appointment," said Eric Morrison, president and CEO of The Canadian Press. "He has worked in senior positions with many of CP's members and continues to be in touch with them through their printing business with Transcontinental Inc. He is well respected and liked within the media industry. He also knows The Canadian Press well and during his previous time here produced a number of innovative services. It will be a pleasure to work with him to build new foundations for the continued success of the cooperative." Andre Prefontaine has traced an impressive career path through the Canadian information industry over the past three decades. He got his start as a journalist at Sherbrooke's La Tribune newspaper. Next, he took on the abovementioned positions at The Canadian Press, followed by stints as associate publisher and editor of Le Droit, operations manager at Kingston's Whig-Standard, and president and publisher of The Windsor Star. Before joining Transcontinental in 1996, he was vice president of daily newspapers at Quebecor. Mr. Prefontaine also serves on a number of other boards of directors, including those of the Canadian Newspaper Association, where he is director, and of Nature Conservancy Canada, Quebec Region. He has been on the board of The Canadian Press for two years. "In addition to being an honour for me personally, my appointment to the top position of Canada's largest news service speaks to the importance of Transcontinental Media as a major and growing national player on this country's print media landscape," commented Prefontaine. "Not only is it the leading consumer magazine publisher, but it is also the only group with newsrooms in all 10 provinces, with dailies in five. I look forward to fulfilling my expanded duties at The Canadian Press with the same zeal as I apply at Transcontinental."