ABC News Employees Wary of Talks With CNN
Date: 26 September 2002
By Jim Rutenberg
Jim Rutenberg
People at ABC News meet reports of possible merger with CNN with fear, optimism or wariness; many believe there could be advantages to merger that might result in larger, stronger news organization; others believe that there is danger in merging with cable organization they long derided as lesser journalistic version of ABC News; ABC News president David Westin warns that any merger agreement is long way off; says ABC News would emerge stronger if deal is done; it is generally assumed that ABC News talent like Peter Jennings, Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters would appear on CNN in some capacity; Viacom executive says its CBS News division decided not to pursue deal with CNN because it believes that it would give CNN upper hand in day-to-day decision making (M)
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Tony Blair's Role: Statesman, or Poodle?
Date: 26 September 2002
By Warren Hoge
Warren Hoge
Analysis: Pres Bush's reliance on Prime Min Tony Blair to present American case on Iraq to European Union, and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder's request that Blair intercede on his behalf with Washington over differences relating to Iraq, seem to confirm that Blair has secured his long-sought role for Britain as bridge between Europe and United States and to validate his view that he could at once be good Atlanticist and trusted European; it is precarious position, since suspicions are rampant in European Union over his closeness to Washington and even at home, where British press regularly portrays him as 'Bush's poodle'; photo (M)
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Vivendi Will Move Quickly to Sell Many Assets
Date: 26 September 2002
By John Tagliabue
John Tagliabue
Vivendi Universal's chief executive Jean-Rene Fourtou announces shake-up of company's board with six resignations and says Vivendi will speed up sales of assets and focus on entertainment and telecommunications; says company will also seek to form closer partnership with executives in US to aid management of its media assets, which include Universal movie, television, music and theme park businesses; acknowledges that Vivendi Univeral Entertainment chairman Barry Diller has greater expertise in those businesses; some critics say strategy is similar to company former chief executive Jean-Marie Messier set out to create; Fourtou also seeks to resolve issue of severance payment for Messier, by saying Messier not only will receive nothing but will be forced to return salary payment he inadvertently received in July; announces sale of Telepiu, Italian pay television network, to News Corp for 1 million euros; News Corp says no definitive agreement has been reached; also says it has sold Canal Plus Technologies, maker of television set-top box software, to Thomson Multimedia for 190 million euros in cash; photo (M)
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DUKE ENERGY WILL SELL SHARES TO PAY DEBT
Date: 26 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Duke Energy Corp plans to sell 52 million common shares to raise $954.2 million to pay debt from its purchase of Westcoast Energy (S)
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PHILIP MORRIS REDUCES ITS EARNINGS FORECAST
Date: 27 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Philip Morris, world's biggest cigarette maker, slashes annual profit forecast for second time this year because of lower-than-expected sales and higher promotional spending (S)
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GOODYEAR TO LAY OFF 450 WORKERS IN TENNESSEE
Date: 26 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co will lay off 450 workers, or 12 percent of work force, at Tennessee factory after its sales declined in August (S)
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FORD SAYS IT WILL CUT SEVERAL THOUSAND JOBS THIS YEAR
Date: 27 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Ford Motor Co will cut several thousand factory jobs in US by end of year under its turnaround plan; reductions are part of previously announced plan to eliminate 35,000 jobs, including 12,000 last year, and close five factories by 2005 (S)
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GEMSTAR-TV GUIDE REPORTS A LOSS OF $954 MILLION
Date: 27 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Gemstar-TV Guide International reports preliminary second-quarter loss of $954 million because of write-down of value of assets (S)
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World Business Briefing | Europe: Germany: Business Confidence Falls
Date: 26 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
German business confidence falls to eight-month low as executives' expectations for economic rebound dims; Ifo institute's index of western German business confidence drops to 88.2 from 88.8 in August (S)
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Technology Briefing | Biotechnology: Organogenesis Files For Bankruptcy
Date: 26 September 2002
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Organogenesis, maker of bioengineered skin substitute, files for bankruptcy and dismisses 110 workers after it stops shipping its Apligraf tissue to Novartis, its exclusive distributor (S)
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