The Anniston Star from Anniston, Alabama • Page 14

(The JmttBton tar Page 14A Friday, August 16, 1996 RSA funding buyout for free advertising tistic. You get the plate numbers of the vehicles and a description. Let us do our job." Colburn said he was pleased with the meeting. He felt that it built awareness in the community. "We didn't come here expecting immediate results," he said.

Perhaps one of the best suggestions during the meeting was from Bob Perry of Perryland Foods in Wedowee: "Drive an old truck like mine," he said, "and you won't get it stolen." ing around landings. People who are just driving in and out of the landings, not pulling a trailer, and not doing any fishing could be considered suspicious. Report them to the sheriff's department. Both Durham and Fuller urged residents not to try to stop a car thief in the act because of the danger. "You come up on one of them and you might think you can body slam them and stop them," Durham said.

"Every year people wearing a badge fall. You are not prepared for it. We are. You could wind up a sta Associated Press MONTGOMERY Alabama tourism stands to benefit from a $485 million acquisition of seven television stations by Atlanta-based Raycom Media Inc. The Retirement Systems of Alabama, a Raycom investor, is providing the bulk of the funds $455 million for the acquisition of stations owned by Aflac Inc.

As a result, RSA would get between $15 million and $20 million of advertising time on the stations annually, which will be used to advertise the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, owned by RSA, and other Alabama tourist attractions such as the U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville and the Talladega Superspeedway, pension system chief David Bronner said Thursday. RSA is loaning Raycom the $455 million at a rate of between 8.5 percent and 10 percent based on the stations' performance, Bronner said. Raycom has signed a letter of intent to acquire the 18-year-old Aflac broadcast division, which consists of seven stations in small-to medium-size markets, including NBC affiliate WAFF-TV in Huntsville. The other stations are KFVS-TV in Cape Girardeau, KWWL-TV in Waterloo, Iowa; WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, WTOC-TV in Savannah, WITN-TV in Washington, N.C.; and WTVM-TV in Columbus, Ga.

Contracts should be signed within the next 10 days, Bronner said. The deal is subject to approval of federal regulators, and is expected to close by Dec. 31. Thefts From Page 13A Drop business cards into every nook and cranny of your car and write on the back, 'If you find this card, this car was stolen. Call me." Record your vehicle's identification number, or VIN, and license plate number and carry them with you.

By the time you are able to go home and look up the numbers, the car will be long gone. Write down the license plate number and a description of the driver of any suspicious vehicle cruis Budget From Page 9a better account," said White, adding that the details of that "better account" remained nebulous. "We are waiting on feedback from the state." White said the budget does not yet include any discretionary spending and remains subject to change. "It is not hard and fast," White said. "It is a planning tool, so we know what to expect." The preliminary budget established $45.6 million in total revenues for the school year, of which roughly $35.3 million comes from the state, $3.6 million from the federal government, and about $6.7 million from local sources.

The board will begin workshops on Monday to finalize the budget. The board voted unanimously at Goals 2000 From Page 1 3A James scoffed at the letter, insisting that "a letter from a bureaucrat does not override a statute." Goals 2000 money originally was allocated to states and communities that were working to set challenging academic standards, promote parental involvement, provide teacher training and make computers available to students. But in the final fiscal 1997 bud Thursday's meeting to adopt the statewide 4 percent salary increase for all school system employees and to make the increase retroactive to the employee's contract year. Also at Thursdays' meeting the board: Voted unanimously in favor of a $15,000 loan to Saks High School toward the completion of a new baseball field. Approved $9,750 to buy a property adjacent to Wellborn Elementary School from Charles and Bobbie Pierce.

According to Mitchell, the property includes a dangerous curve in front of the school. The board also agreed to purchase title insurance for the property. Renewed liability insurance through Alabama School Board Insurance Trust for $52,125 cover get bill that passed Congress this spring, the lawmakers eliminated many of the program's controversial mandates and allowed states and school districts to spend 100 percent of the funds on computers and other technology. Rep. Terry Everett, wrote James after that vote and advised the state to take the money.

He said he still opposes the program, but thinks Alabama could benefit from using the money to buy computers for classrooms, 9 if Save extra on our entire stock JEANS Sale good until 6 Alabama State trustee Reed asked to resign Associated Press MONTGOMERY Alabama State University board of trustees Chairman Joe Reed is coming qnder fire and being asked to resign by attorneys and board members upset over his handling of a desegregation order. A year after the court order was issued, James U. Blacksher, who represented a class of black plaintiffs in the case, wrote Reed that he is disappointed at the pace at which the order is being implemented. "I criticized the board of trustees for not being sufficiently supportive of President (William) Harris and for not giving him the free hand to implement the remedial decree aggressively," his Aug. 1 letter states.

Blacksher 's letter indicated that the board hasn't started a professionally managed fund-raising campaign for a court-established trust fund and that there have been delays in establishing several allied health programs given to ASU in the court order. The letter went on to ask Reed to give up his post as board chairman. "Only that decisive action will dispel the widespread perceptions that you, not the president, run ASU and that ASU is a place where vigorous debate and change are impossible," it states. Reed, however, denied the charges, saying the criticism of his leadership was inaccurate. He said Thursday that he would give up the chairman's seat "when Easter comes on Tuesday." "This is most unfortunate for Alabama State, for the case, and for the plaintiffs that attorney Blacksher is supposed to be representing," he said.

"There's nothing that's ever been presented to us regarding the Murphy decision that we haven't acted on swiftly." He said efforts are under way to solicit alumni support for the trust fund. And Reed is pursuing a lease agreement that would give the school an allied health site at a church that he partially owns through a nonprofit organization. Changes From Page 13A ager tor Alabama's AtfC, said advertisers will be able to buy spots either spanning the station's whole1 broadcast area or targeted specifically to Anniston- or Tuscaloosa-area viewers. They called the system sophisticated, but it is complicated, too. Still, Heilman was upbeat in broadly describing how the new station will serve viewers and advertisers alike.

"I think if you'll have patience with us, you'll be pleased with what we will do," Heilman said. "We will not forget the people of northeast Alabama who brought us to the dance." Heilman also addressed fears that the new big station will give short shrift to such important community events as high school football. It may take a month or so after the Sept. 1 sign-on to pull together, he said, but the station plans to have the "most comprehensive high school sports coverage in the state." He indicated the station may broadcast a weekly high school sports show that could run from 30 to 60 minutes. Several WJSU employees, who will remain in Anniston and run advertising and a scaled-back newsroom, were on hand to hear the new boss speak.

Also on hand was Phil Cox, long a staple at WJSU, who has now moved to Birmingham and is vice president and station manager of Alabama's ABC. Heilman said the new station now has 117 full-time employees and will have 121. Some 55 will; work in news, which, he said, "should keep us competitive." Alabama's ABC started to take shape in January when it was announced that Allbritton Communications Co. of Washington, D.C., had signed a long-term lease-purchase agreement to buy WJSU from Osborn Communications Corp. of Greenwich, Conn.

Last November, Allbritton announced plans to buy Tuscaloosa's WCFT-TV With the two purchases, Albritton embarked on a major push to move into the north Alabama TV market. The push is also part of a musical-chairs shuffle of network affiliations. WJSU, long a CBS affiliate, will become an ABC affiliate. Gadsden's WNAL, now aligned with FOX, will become a CBS affiliate. Birmingham's WBRC-Channel 6, now an ABC affiliate, will become a FOX affiliate.

Birmingham's WTTO-Channel 11, now a FOX affiliate, will become an independent station. All the changes are to take effect Sept. 1. The stations are strong in their respective markets and have a steady cash flow, which makes them good investments for Raycom, Bronner said. Aflac, based in Columbus, will also get a five-year advertising allowance of $15 million, but Bronner said the time would be spread over all the stations and limited to $3 million a year.

He noted that Aflac is a big advertiser nationally, and Raycom is offering the free air time as a promotion toward getting a slice of Aflac's advertising budget. Aflac's broadcast division was performing well, but the company decided to sell the stations to focus on its primary business, insurance, said Aflac spokeswoman Kathelen Spencer. "There was going to come a time when the company either was going to have to sell (the division) or make it grow," Spencer said. Because media holding companies are no longer limited in the number of television stations they can own, many are moving to acquire as many outlets in attractive markets as possible. Ms.

Spencer said the increased value of stations in small- to medium-sized markets was a factor in the decision to sell. Aflac's only secondary business, after the sale, will be a small communications and printing subsidiary. Raycom, based in Atlanta, was formerly known as Ellis Communications Inc. A group of investors, including the RSA, purchased Ellis and its 12 TV stations for $732 million in May, then renamed the company. PM Sat, August 24 (Regular $34, A $40 Value) 60, Sizes 62-66 Sale $34.99 Wrinkle-Free COTTON TWILLS WRINKLE-FREE TWILLS SALE $29" (Regular $34.99) Khaki, navy, and black; Regular sizes 30-42; Big sizes 44-54 SALE $34.99 Tall sizes 34-42 SALE $34.99 Denims Side-Elastic Also $5 Off Wrinkle Free COTTON TWILLS CAI $9799 (Reaular $32.99) Khaki, dark olive navy.

Sizes 32-42 Big sizes 44-54 SALE $34.99 Denims Side-Elastic Also $5 Off VISA, MASTERCARD AND DISCOVER FREE IN-ST0RE ALTERATIONS FREE GIFT BOXES OXFORD FH. 835-0054 002906 LEVI'S 545 LOOSE FIT LEVI'S 505 REGULAR FIT LEVI'S 540 RELAXED FIT Regular, Big Tall Sizes. Waist Sizes 30-60 SALE $5 OFF Reg. Sizes Regular $31.99 to $36.99 Big Tall Sizes Regular $39.99 to $44.99 ing September, 1996 through September, 1997. Approved a bidding process for the asphalt resurfacing of the outside basketball and volleyball courts at Bynum Elementary School.

According to Mitchell, Bynum is the only school in the Calhoun County system that does not have indoor physical education facilities. Voted to accept a bid by Superior Calhoun Gas of Anniston to supply gasoline for the upcoming school year. Superior had the lowest bid at $.559 per gallon. Approved minor changes to the code of school conduct including the permission of facial hair. Mitchell said that as the board had not had time to examine the code in detail over the summer, an addendum to the code may be added during the school year.

James and conservative groups that oppose Goals 2000 contend that accepting the money would allow the federal government to mandate teaching on subjects such as sexual preference and abortion. "If the money is coming to the state for education and will be used to benefit the children of Alabama, the state should use it," Sen. Richard Shelby, said Thursday. "But I don't want to get into micromanaging the Department of Education." to -1-1 p- 4 if I 1 i 1 si tfeSi CO) I 1 Rugged weaR Stretch Stonewashed, Side-Elastic Indigo Stonewashed Denim SALE $5 OFF Regular $28.99 to $38.99 Regular Big Sizes 32 to 60 Trillions for the Big Men's Full-Fit GREYSTONE JEANS MONTHS SALE 29 I i I ii Your, I Indigo, Natural black. Sizes 44 527 QUINT ARD DRIVE, 1 9 W0 Open jm Closed Sundays TUXEDO RENTALS for i 1 70 1 South Avsr 13 7 Saturday 10 I jgr TALV 1 2Jj "i'li'jaBu.