SKO Shopko Stores

NEW YORK, Dec. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Standard & Poor's will make the following changes to the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400 and SmallCap 600 indices: * CBS Corp. (NYSE:CBSwi) and Viacom Inc. (New) (NYSE:VIA.Bwi) will replace Viacom Inc. (Old) (NYSE:VIA.B) and Visteon Corp. (NYSE:VC) and in the S&P 500 after the close of trading on Friday, December 30. Viacom is separating into two publicly trading companies consisting of new Viacom and CBS Corporation. Visteon is being removed from the index on account of low market capitalization. * S&P MidCap 400 constituent Whole Foods Market Inc. (NASD: WFMI) will replace MBNA Corp. (NYSE:KRB) in the S&P 500 after the close of trading on December 30. MBNA is being acquired by S&P 500 constituent Bank of America Corp. (NYSE:BAC) in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals. Affymetrix Inc. (NASD: AFFX) will replace Whole Foods in the S&P MidCap 400. * NS Group Inc. (NYSE:NSS) will replace ShopKo Stores Inc. (NYSE:SKO) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Wednesday, December 28. ShopKo is being acquired by Sun Capital Holdings in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals. * Blue Coat Systems Inc. (NASD: BCSI) will replace Verity Inc. (NASD: VRTY) in the S&P SmallCap 600 after the close of trading on Thursday, December 29. Verity is being acquired by Autonomy Corp. plc in a deal expected to close on or about that date, pending final approvals. Standard & Poor's will monitor these transactions, and post any relevant updates on its website: http://www.standardandpoors.com/. CBS Corp. comprises the television, radio and outdoor businesses of the parent Viacom from which it was split, including the CBS and UPN broadcast networks, the Infinity Radio group, Viacom Outdoor and TV production businesses (Paramount and King World), as well as Simon & Schuster book publishing and Paramount Parks (which operates five theme parks). Headquartered in New York, NY, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Broadcasting & Cable TV Sub-Industry Index. Viacom Inc (New) will own MTV Networks (MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, TV Land and many other networks around the world), BET, Paramount Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment and Famous Music. Headquartered in New York, NY, the company will be added to the S&P 500 GICS (Global Industry Classification Standard) Movies & Entertainment Sub-Industry Index. Whole Foods Market owns and operates a nationwide chain of natural foods supermarkets. Headquartered in Austin, TX, the company will be added to the S&P 500 Food Retail Sub-Industry Index. Affymetrix offers DNA chip technology used by drug developers and academic researchers to analyze genetic data that may lead to drug discoveries. Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, the company will be added to the S&P MidCap 400 Biotechnology Sub-Industry Index. NS Group manufactures seamless and welded tubular products used in the drilling, exploration and transmission of oil and natural gas. Headquartered in Newport, KY, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 Oil & Gas Equipment & Services Sub-Industry Index. Blue Coat Systems offers proxy appliances that serve as a point of control and integration for multiple Web security functions. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, the company will be added to the S&P SmallCap 600 Communications Equipment Sub-Industry Index. Following is a summary of the changes: S&P 500 INDEX - December 30, 2005 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED CBS Corp. Consumer Discretionary Broadcasting & Cable TV Viacom Inc. (New) Consumer Discretionary Movies & Entertainment Whole Foods Market Consumer Staples Food Retail DELETED Viacom Inc. (Old) Consumer Discretionary Movies & Entertainment Visteon Corp. Consumer Discretionary Auto Parts & Equipment MBNA Corp. Financials Consumer Finance S&P MIDCAP 400 INDEX - December 30, 2005 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Affymetrix Health Care Biotechnology DELETED Whole Foods Market Consumer Staples Food Retail S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - December 28, 2005 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED NS Group Energy Oil & Gas Equipment & Services DELETED ShopKo Stores Consumer Discretionary General Merchandise Stores S&P SMALLCAP 600 INDEX - December 29, 2005 COMPANY GICS ECONOMIC SECTOR GICS SUB-INDUSTRY ADDED Blue Coat Systems Information Technology Communications Equipment DELETED Verity Information Technology Application Software Additions to and deletions from an S&P equity index do not in any way reflect an opinion on the investment merits of the companies concerned. About Standard & Poor's Standard & Poor's, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE:MHP), is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research and data. With approximately 6,300 employees located in 20 countries and markets, Standard & Poor's is an essential part of the world's financial infrastructure and has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent benchmarks they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions. For more information, visit http://www.standardandpoors.com/. Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, BusinessWeek and McGraw-Hill Education. The Corporation has more than 300 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/. DATASOURCE: Standard & Poor's CONTACT: David M. Blitzer, Ph.D. Managing Director & Chairman of the Index Committee (212) 438-3907 Web site: http://www.standardandpoors.com/ http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/

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