UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D. C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) October 21, 2004 Commission Registrant; State of Incorporation; I.R.S. Employer File Number Address; and Telephone Number Identification No. ----------- ----------------------------- ------------------ 333-21011 FIRSTENERGY CORP. 34-1843785 (An Ohio Corporation) 76 South Main Street Akron, OH 44308 Telephone (800)736-3402 Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2.): [ ] Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) [ ] Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) [ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) [ ] Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Item 2.02 Results of Operations and Financial Condition On October 21, 2004, FirstEnergy Corp. issued two public announcements, which are attached as Exhibits 99.1, and 99.2 hereto and incorporated by reference. FirstEnergy's Press Release and Consolidated Report to the Financial Community contain non-GAAP financial measures. Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's historical or future financial performance, financial position, or cash flows that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, or GAAP. Pursuant to the requirements of Regulation G, FirstEnergy has provided quantitative reconciliations within the Press Release and Consolidated Report to the Financial Community of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. The Press Release and Consolidated Report to the Financial Community include normalized earnings per share, which is not calculated in accordance with GAAP because it excludes the impact of "unusual items". Unusual items reflect the impact on earnings of events that are not routine, are related to discontinued businesses or are the cumulative effect of an accounting change. Management believes presenting normalized earnings calculated in this manner provides useful information to investors in evaluating the ongoing results of FirstEnergy's businesses and assists investors in comparing the company's operating performance to the operating performance of others in the energy sector. FirstEnergy's management frequently references these non-GAAP financial measures in its decision-making, using them to facilitate historical and ongoing performance comparisons as well as comparisons to the performance of peer companies. The non-GAAP information presented in the Press Release and Consolidated Report to the Financial Community should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for, reported earnings per share prepared in accordance with GAAP. Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits (c) Exhibits. Exhibit No. Description ----------- ----------- 99.1 Press Release issued by FirstEnergy Corp., dated October 21, 2004 99.2 Consolidated Report to the Financial Community, dated October 21, 2004 Forward-Looking Statement: This Form 8-K includes forward-looking statements based on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties. These statements typically contain, but are not limited to, the terms "anticipate", "potential", "expect", "believe", "estimate" and similar words. Actual results may differ materially due to the speed and nature of increased competition and deregulation in the electric utility industry, economic or weather conditions affecting future sales and margins, changes in markets for energy services, changing energy and commodity market prices, replacement power costs being higher than anticipated or inadequately hedged, maintenance costs being higher than anticipated, legislative and regulatory changes (including revised environmental requirements), adverse regulatory or legal decisions and the outcome of governmental investigations (including revocation of necessary licenses or operating permits), availability and cost of capital, the continuing availability and operation of generating units, the inability to accomplish or realize anticipated benefits of strategic goals, the ability to improve electric commodity margins and to experience growth in the distribution business, the ability to access the public securities markets, further investigation into the causes of the August 14, 2003 regional power outage and the outcome, cost and other effects of present and potential legal and administrative proceedings and claims related to that outage, the final outcome in the proceeding related to FirstEnergy's Application for a Rate Stabilization Plan in Ohio, the risks and other factors discussed from time to time in FirstEnergy's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including its annual report on Form 10-K (as amended) for the year ended December 31, 2003, and its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2004, and other similar factors. FirstEnergy expressly disclaims any current intention to update any forward-looking statements contained in this document as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. 2 SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. October 21, 2004 FIRSTENERGY CORP. ----------------- Registrant /s/ Harvey L. Wagner ---------------------------------------------- Harvey L. Wagner Vice President, Controller and Chief Accounting Officer 3