Tiikerijakelu Oy will replace Lastannet Holding B.V. as party to the shareholders' agreement concerning Sanoma-WSOY Oyj. Patricia Seppälä, one of the signatories to the agreement, has donated Sanoma Corporation and Helsinki Media Company Oy (HMC) shares to her grandchildren, who have informed they will accede to the shareholder agreement.

On 29 April 1999, Tiikerijakelu Oy has purchased from Lastannet Holding B.V. all its shares owned in HMC. At the same time, Tiikerijakelu Oy will, instead of Lastannet Holding B.V., become party to the shareholder agreement which the main shareholders to the companies merging into Sanoma-WSOY Oyj have signed on 14 May 1998. Both the buyer and the seller are subsidiaries of Sanoma Corporation. In this purchase, 155,244 HMC class K shares and 154,179 HMC class E shares have changed owner.

In connection with the purchase Tiikerijakelu Oy assumed the agreement signed on 14 May 1998, according to which Lastannet Holding B.V. was liable to sell the class A shares of Sanoma-WSOY Oyj to Suomen Kulttuurirahasto. The purchase of the 392,239 class A shares will be effected in week 18.

Ms. Patricia Seppälä, Managing Director, has informed that she has, on 16 April 1999, donated to her grand children in total 34,454 HMC class K shares and 15,546 HMC class E shares as well as 12,000 class E shares in Sanoma Corporation. The receivers of the donation, Christoffer Langenskiöld, Sebastian Langenskiöld, Pamela Langenskiöld, Lorna Noyer and Alex Noyer, have informed that they have accepted the shareholders' agreement between the main shareholders.

The shareholders' agreement has been published as an addendum to the stock exchange release given on 15 May 1998 in connection with the merger of Werner Söderström Corporation - WSOY, Sanoma Corporation, Helsinki Media Company Oy and Oy Devarda Ab.

Werner Söderström Corporation - WSOY, Sanoma Corporation, Helsinki Media Company Oy and Oy Devarda Ab, which owns shares in the two last mentioned companies) will merge on 1 May 1999 whereby a new company Sanoma-WSOY Oyj will emerge.

Additional information: Mr. Aarno Heinonen, Vice President; tel. +358 9 122 2000 or +358 400 408 938

WERNER SÖDERSTRÖM CORPORATION - WSOY


Aarno Heinonen
Vice President

DISTRIBUTION: HEX Helsinki Stock Exchange, principal media