Hearst Corporation Names Beth Polish Director of Corporate Innovation

NEW YORK, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Beth Polish has been named director of
Corporate Innovation for Hearst Corporation and senior vice president of
Hearst Interactive Media. In this newly created position, Polish is
developing and leading an employee innovation program focusing on inspiring
Hearst's nearly 20,000 employees, across more than 200 businesses, to develop
their creative business ideas into profitable ventures with the support of the
company.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090616/NY33518 )

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090417/HEARSTLOGO-c )

The Corporate Innovation function debuted in April and operates within Hearst
Interactive Media, headed by President Kenneth A. Bronfin. It receives
support and leadership from Hearst Corporation Vice Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer Frank A. Bennack, Jr., and Chief Legal and Development
Officer James M. Asher.

Bennack said in launching the Innovation program: "Innovation has always been
important at Hearst. From redefining journalism to branding magazines to
HDTV, our history is the story of entrepreneurs. What's new here is that we
have not had a single, formal process before now to encourage, support and
transform great ideas from our employees into actual Hearst businesses."

Commenting on the appointment, Bronfin said, "We will use this program to
drive innovative and entrepreneurial thinking across the company--and will
then provide the resources to take great new business concepts and turn them
into profitable ventures. Beth recognizes the unique opportunity we have to
work with our talent at Hearst to create new businesses."

Polish has held senior management positions in media, finance, private
investment and technology. She was president of Anthony Robbins' Dreamlife,
Inc., founding CFO of iVillage, Inc., CFO of Goldman Sachs Ventures, and
managing director at KPMG.

Polish is the creator and author of the multi-media program Business Plan
Power: Creating a Tool that Works for Your Company and the DROOM(R) (Don't Run
Out Of Money) primer series, In The Market For Money. A frequent speaker on
the subject of strategies for growth, Polish teaches entrepreneurship at NYU's
School of Continuing and Professional Studies. She serves on the executive
committee of the Women's Leadership Exchange and is the past co-chair of the
New York New Media Association's Venture Downtown Technology Showcase
Conference. Polish has an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

"Building great ideas into thriving businesses is the cornerstone of my work
and personal passion," Polish said. "I am delighted to be leading Corporate
Innovation at Hearst, providing a platform for the company's growth through
employee innovation."

Hearst Corporation (www.hearst.com) is one of the nation's largest diversified
media companies. Its major interests include ownership of 15 daily and 49
weekly newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle
and Albany Times Union; as well as interests in an additional 43 daily and 72
non-daily newspapers owned by MediaNews Group, which include the Denver Post
and Salt Lake Tribune; nearly 200 magazines around the world, including Good
Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and O, The Oprah Magazine; 29 television stations,
which reach a combined 18% of U.S. viewers; ownership in leading cable
networks, including Lifetime, A&E, History and ESPN; as well as business
publishing, including a minority joint venture interest in Fitch Ratings;
Internet businesses, television production, newspaper features distribution
and real estate.

SOURCE Hearst Corporation

Paul Luthringer, Hearst Corporation, +1-212-649-2540, pluthringer@hearst.com