The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • Page 49

Market brief All Itfuns relied market close for Sept, 8 TheDesertSun Saturday, 6, 2003 Section "DOW r'NASMrT'l 500 1 .1: ft, WWW i cue Advances 1,457 1,409 Declines 1,766 1,779 Unchanged 165 396 Composite volume 1,901,119,740 ,1,934,042,417 online Find any stock on our online Stocks page. www.thedesertsun.combusiness business editor Pat Maio phone 778-4625 fax 778-4654 assistant business editor Dennis A. Biitton PHONE 778-4650 e-mail businessthedesertsun.com nn If wrth IE on (tea enw mm Valley real estate firm announces merger plan "itr.JI wife M1 wfif al mn fate fed National Broadcasting Company Inc. 2002 Sales (mil.) $7,149.0 1-Year Sales Growth 23.9 Employee 6,000 NBC Television Network Includes NBC Sports, News, and Entertainment Television stations More than 14 company-owned or operated stations Telemundo Major U.S. Spanish-language television network Bravo Cable network reaching more than 70 million viewers CNBC Business news network reaching 86 million households MSNBC Provides Internet services in partnership with Microsoft NBC Enterprises Responsible for global distribution of NBC products Vivendi Universal Entertainment 2002 Sales (mil.) $7,193.6 1-Year Sales Growth 64.5 2002 Employees 22,146 Movies Universal Pictures produces and distributes movies such as SeabiscuitandThe Mulk Home video Universal Studios shipped over 150 million DVDs in 2001 Television Produces shows such as Law Order, Just Shoot Me and Jerry Springer Cable U.S.

cable channels including USA Network, Sci Fi Channel and Trio Theme parks Universal's theme parks saw 28 million visitors worldwide in 2001 SOURCES: ASSOCIATED PRESS, HOOVER NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY INC. billion 11 9.9 9.8 7.5 IN 11 ii i Universal is waiting to see if GE brings good things to deal By Gary Gentile THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A i LOS ANGELES It was only 18 months ago that Vivendi Universal chairman Jean-Marie Messier charmed a gathering of Universal Studios executives with his vision of transforming the company into a global media powerhouse. "There is a Universal uniform no tie," the boyish Messier said to the delight of the executives, many of whom signed up for Berlitz courses to learn French after Vivendi acquired Universal in 2000. This week, Universal executives once again gathered to hear a new boss say how the company's fourth owner in 13 years would run the studio behind such recent films as "The Hulk" and "Seabis-cuit." This time, though, the reception was more guarded. NBC chairman Bob Wright spoke to more than 100 senior executives on a soundstage at Universal's backlot Wednesday.

Earlier this week, NBC and Vivendi Universal agreed to exclusive talks to form a joint venture that would combine the NBC television network and NBC cable channels, such as Bravo, with Universal Pictures, Universal's theme parks and cable networks such as the Sci-Fi Channel. "It was a little like 'Deja vu all over said one longtime Universal executive who attended the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity. "A lot of the executives had a weary, 'Been there, done that' attitude." One question on the mind of many Universal executives was whether Wright, a protege of former General Electric chairman Jack Welch, would seek to impose GE's culture of strict cost controls on a studio that regularly gambles millions of dollars on big-budget movies, not all of which earn back the investment. NBC is owned by GE. Wright talked about NBC's financial rigor during Wednesday's meeting, but added that NBC has been willing to spend a lot on television series and programs such as the Olympic games, according to people who attended.

CONCERNS: Universal executives will likely be held more accountable for cost overruns and be held to detailed budgets when it comes to making movies, said Robert Slater, the author of "Jack Welch and the GEWay." 1 MAT 1 SAVLhii, THb ASbOClATbD FRtSS Art of the deal: The entrance week, NBC and Vivendi Universal to Los Angeles' Universal Studios theme park. Earlier this agreed to exclusive talks to form a joint venture. Andrea Kay AT WORK 'Executive dysfunction' often affects career path Sheila is a nice person but a lousy real estate agent. She doesn't plan anything, can't seem to organize her time or keep focused on the task in front of her. She doesn't start projects and see them through and won't do the basics to build her business.

Although her chances of success are good because she loves real estate and interacting with people, she can't figure out what's holding her back. Her problem is one I see in a slew of people who work solo or have jobs in companies but just can't get their act together. She seemed to be lacking something fundamental that other people have, but I didn't know what to call it. I just learned her problem might have a name "executive dysfunction." This term is sometimes used loosely, but it is real, according to a recent New York Times article. It means that you can be smart but still not do well in your career or other areas of life if you lack the ability to plan, organize time and space, initiate projects and see them through to completion and "cannot resist immediate temptations in favor of later better rewards," says the article.

These abilities can be damaged or underdeveloped and affect what neu-roscientists call the "brain's CEO," a control center with an array of executive functions. Studied mostly in under-performing children, these functions may "be a part of the problem in people of any age who are markedly disorganized and inefficient and failing in their careers." What seems to be lacking and needed for people with this dysfunction is structure. In fact, my client attributes success in her past job to the intense structure the company imposed on its workers. According to the article, most help for this dysfunction involves external cues and support to teach the stronger parts of the brain strategies to compensate. One neurologist, Dr.

Martha Bridge Denckla, who treats people with executive dysfunction, says adults can be relatively successful as long as there's another human being such as a co-author, teacher or spouse to keep them on track. Today's workplace calls for everyone to be more self-directed and self-sufficient, which requires skillful use of these executive functions. If you find yourself struggling with that, build a strong support system and structures that will help keep you on track. Your career depends on it. Andrea Kay is a career consultant and author.

Send questions to her at 2692 Madison No. 133; Cincinnati, OH 45208; or via e-mail at andreaandreakay.com The big, the bigger and biggest networks Although the new NBC Universal would be a major player, it would still remain well behind giants like AOLTime Warner Inc. and Walt Disney Co. NBC ranked 6th in 2002. 2002 sales for NBC and competitors By Jonathan D.

COI.BURN I HE DESERT SUN PALM DESERT Becker Becker Real Estate of Palm Desert and Phoenix-based Realty Executives announced a merger Friday that will most likely make the new business the third-largest real estate company in the Coachella Valley. Fred Prescott, a broker with Becker Becker, said the move will give his company much greater impact throughout the region. "We have people at Becker who are just waiting for this," said Prescott. Prescott said the combined company will also have an in-house escrow service, home warranty options, and an attorney in its offices. Ginny Becker is president of the new company, which will operate under the name Realty Executives Becker Becker.

She said discussions between the two companies were initiated about six months ago by her son, Michael Fogarty, who works for the family business. "He's looking to the future," said Becker. "We decided that an affiliation with a strong international firm would be a smart move." Realty Executives has offices in 46 states and more than a dozen countries, according to Becker. Officials at Realty Executives did not return calls to confirm the figures. John Young, sales manager of Prudential California Realty in Palm Desert, said he has seen quite a few local real estate company mergers over the last few years.

"When times are good, you get an awful lot of people in this business," said Young, a director of the California Desert Association of Realtors. "A lot of the middle-of-the-road companies end up merging." Young said that the merger will most likely put Realty Executives at the number-three sales position in the valley, behind REMAX and Fred Sands Desert Realty. Becker said her company has about 200 current property listings, a number that she expects to double after the merger. The new company will have about 200 agents working in the valley, combining 1 50 from Becker Becker and 50 agents from Realty Executives. Jonathan D.

Colburn covers growth and development for The Desert Sun. He can be reached at 778-4643 or by e-mail at Jonathan.Colbum thedesertsun.com to move around, but there are a lot of places people don't know about." Ravenna said. "We went up and had a wonderful time going rock climbing in San Jacinto with Mark Long (from MTV's Road Rules and Battle of the Sexes)." Ravenna said that she has also hired a comedy writer for a skit-based program, featuring celebrity impersonators and real-life celebrities. Sussman and KVCR signed the deal a month ago, with the latter promising to pay attention to valley viewers when scheduling its programming. The switchover to KVCR occurred Tuesday, and the station can now be seen on channel 16 on Time Warner's cable sys-Please see PBS, E2 AOLTime Warner I Fox Entertainment Cox Enterprises ABC CBS NBC Gannett Tribune "Cisneros Group Hearst BI7.1 EH 6.4 "GE is not afraid to spend in the billions of dollars," Slater said.

"But the reason they are so profitable is they don't have these budget overruns." Another topic on the mind of wary Universal employees was whether NBC would seek to slash costs through massive job cuts. Wright addressed the topic up front by joking that the assembled executives should turn in their cell phones and badges and proceed to waiting buses to be escorted off the lot. While jobs almost certainly will be cut in the redundant television production units, executives said whole-sale job cuts are not planned. "I think it's natural for people to feel concern about their individual futures in any merger," Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Vivendi Uni versal Entertainment said Thursday in an interview. SAVINGS: "As Bob and I both said yesterday, we're looking to get our savings from a lot of other areas that do not involve personnel.

There's no intention or plan for mass layoffs." Meyer said he has agreed to stay on. Meanwhile, Universal employees are approaching the proposed deal with a sense of relief that the prolonged bidding process, which dragged on for months, is over. And they do not seem too worried that GE would change a company that is on a roll with such moneymakers as the "American Pie" movies and "2 Fast 2 Furious." "The Universal culture survived the Japanese, it survived the Canadians and it survived the French," said the anonymous executive. "There's not so much a fear oftheGE culture." 0 5.4 3.8 B3.3 ABC is owned by Walt Disney, which showed sales of $25.3 billion in 2002. CBS is owned by one of the world largest media companies, Viacom which had sales of $24.6 billion in 2002.

Washington Post 1 2.6 Discovery Communications 1 1.7 Univision 1 1.1 I $790 million 1731.4 1721.3 Lifetime Sinclair Broadcast Group Hearst-Argyle Television The WB 1589.0 2001 "2003 HA 'Hot available Corp. for Public Broadcasting 1 399.9 TheStreet.com i 20.8 $0.6 mil. In 2000 NA Hispanic Television Network Sony Pictures Television SOURCES: ASSOCIATED PRESS' HOOVER'S INC NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY GRAPHIC BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Orange County PBS affiliate replaced by KVCR-San Bernardino "iK-- v. V'. I i'l gelist channels already; we don't need another one." The change comes at a perfect time, Sussman said, since he is developing several new programs centered around valley activity with his other company, Raven Productions which produces programming for public television.

Joni Ravenna, president of Raven Productions, of which Sussman is also a partner, has hosted several television shows for PBS, and is working on some new programming tailored to the valley. For instance, she is working on a travel show that will feature local destinations exclusively. "It seems like a lot of people who come here are health conscious and want By Jonathan D. Colburn THE DESERT SUN PALM SPRINGS Mitchell Sussman, president of PSTV Partners, a local broadcast company, thought that Orange County-based KOCE TV was not taking the Coachella Valley seriously enough. So Sussman dropped the Public Broadcasting System affiliate station and is now broadcasting PBS station KVCR out of San Bernardino.

Sussman's PSTV had been broadcasting the KOCE signal for the last four years, but he started looking for a new station as a partner about six months ago. KOCE's pending sale made Sussman even more JONATHAN D. COLKLRN, 1 Hh OhShRr SUN Switchover(Left to right) Steve Peyton, Joni Ravenna, Mitchell Sussman in discussion. "I don't care about bring- ing another televangelist in- to the valley," said Sussman. "There are enough televan eager to find a new partner, he said.

The Coast Community College District, licensee of KOCE, is selling the station, and two of the front-running bidders are private religious television networks. 4.