CANON COMMUNICATIONS Acquires Modern Plastics and Modern Plastics International Magazines.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 21, 2003

Expands and Strengthens Canon's Portfolio of Publications Serving

the Plastics Processing Industry by Providing Total-Market

Coverage and Worldwide Reach

In a major extension of its coverage of the plastics processing industry, CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC today announced that it has acquired Modern Plastics and Modern Plastics International magazines from Chemical Week Associates of New York. The two monthly publications, with a combined circulation of more than 52,700 industry professionals worldwide, provide coverage of every plastics processing technology for all application markets. Serving as the voice of the industry for more than 75 years, the Modern Plastics magazines will join Injection Molding Magazine, Plastics Machinery & Auxiliaries and the PLASTEC(R) tradeshows in the Canon Plastics Group.

Commenting on the acquisition, William F. Cobert, President and CEO of CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC, said, "The addition of the two Modern Plastics magazines will enable us to provide plastics processing professionals the world over with full-market coverage of industry issues, developments, trends, and technology advances. We see this move as a natural extension of our commitment to the international plastics industry."

Cobert also sees the acquisition as providing additional synergy and support for CANON'S PLASTEC shows, as well as the company's publications and expositions in such key vertical markets as medical device, packaging, electronics, and product design engineering, where plastics play a vital role.

According to Kevin O'Grady, group publisher of Canon's plastics publications, "The addition of Modern Plastics and Modern Plastics International enables Canon's Plastics Group to offer plastics processing professionals both technology-specific and broad market resources designed to meet their particular information needs. For advertisers, our new lineup of publications provides a one-stop resource for reaching every market segment, every buying influence, and every geographic region around the world."

In addition to the two monthly magazines, the acquisition also includes Modern Plastics' World Encyclopedia directories, and the www.modplas.com Web site.

CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC is a leading publisher, tradeshow producer, conference organizer, and digital media company serving the plastics processing, medical device, packaging, electronics, semiconductor fabrication, design engineering and other advanced technology markets. CANON COMMUNICATIONS is a portfolio company of VS&A Communications Partners II, LP, the private equity affiliate of media merchant bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson.

For more information about Modern Plastics magazines, please contact Patrice Aylward, CANON COMMUNICATIONS LLC, 7261 Engle Road, Suite 402, Middleburg Hts., OH 44130; Tel: [phone]; Fax: [phone]; www.cancom.com; [e-mail].