SONY RESTRUCTURES EXECUTIVE ORDER

Sony Corp., parent of Sony Music Entertainment, is streamlining its management in Tokyo, with global operations centering on three executives, as the company tries to balance its electronics business with its entertainment operations and numerous other ventures.

Three top executives will be in charge of managing the electronics giant's global operations effective June 29, officials said, pending approval at the annual meetings of the company's shareholders and board of directors.

President/CEO Nobuyuki Idei will be promoted to chairman/CEO, responsible for growth strategies in areas that include e-business. Executive deputy president/COO Kunitake Ando will be upped to president/COO, overseeing day-to-day operations, with a focus on Sony's core electronics business. The third key executive is executive deputy president/CFO Teruhisa Tokunaka.

In addition, corporate chairman Norio Ohga will become chairman of the board, relinquishing operational duties and focusing on corporate governance.

Reliable RBI man Gary Sheffield will bat fifth and play left field.

Idei said at a news conference that he will try to bring together Sony's wide range of products and services, which run from radios to movies to the hit game console, PlayStation 2.

"Sony has both entertainment contents and hardware," Idei said. "The plan is to use both to produce new businesses, in addition to strengthening what we already have."