[NORTHWESTERN CORPORATION LOGO]                                     EXHIBIT 99.1

                                                                    News Release


Contacts:

Media:
Noreen Thoms
605-978-2808
noreen.thoms@northwestern.com


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                    NORTHWESTERN ELECTS SCHRUM VICE PRESIDENT
                      OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND COMMUNICATIONS

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SIOUX  FALLS,  S.D. - Dec.  18, 2003 - The Board of  Directors  of  NorthWestern
Corporation  (OTC Pink  Sheets:NTHWQ)  today  announced that Roger P. Schrum has
been elected Vice  President of Human  Resources and  Communications,  effective
immediately.

In this  new  position,  Schrum  will be  responsible  for the  integration  and
management  of  the  company's  human  resources,  communications  and  investor
relations functions.  He reports to Gary G. Drook, President and Chief Executive
Officer.  Schrum is taking over the company's Human Resources function from John
Van Camp who assumes the transitional position of Vice President of Organization
and  Staffing  as part of the  company's  Chapter  11  reorganization.  Van Camp
reports to Bill Austin, NorthWestern's Chief Restructuring Officer.

"Roger has been an extremely  effective member of the turnaround team and played
a key  role in  managing  our  relationships  with  our  internal  and  external
stakeholders.  His 20 years of  management  experience in the energy and utility
industry  will be a  strong  asset  as we  integrate  our  human  resources  and
communications functions," said Drook.

Schrum joined NorthWestern in 2001 as Vice President of External Communications.
In 2002,  he took  over  additional  responsibility  for the  company's  overall
communications and investor relations functions.  Prior to joining NorthWestern,
Schrum was General  Manager of Marketing  Communications  and Public  Affairs at
SCANA  Corporation,  a  South  Carolina-based  utility  company.  He  also  held
management  positions with Ashland,  Inc., a Kentucky-based  energy company, and
the  Diamond  Shamrock  Corporation,  a  Texas-based  oil  and  gas  company.  A
Manhattan,  Kansas  native,  Schrum  holds a  Bachelor  of Science  degree  from
Pittsburg (Kansas) State University and has completed the executive  development
program at Indiana University.

About NorthWestern

Based in Sioux  Falls,  S.D.,  NorthWestern  is one of the largest  providers of
electricity  and  natural  gas  in  the  Upper  Midwest  and  Northwest  serving
approximately 600,000 customers in Montana,  South




Dakota and Nebraska.  Further information about NorthWestern is available on the
Internet at www.northwestern.com.

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