Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 21

BUSINESS INSIDE Any resemblance to your boss is Dayton Daily News Friday, March 5, 2004 DaytonDailyNews.combusmess just a coincidence PAGE D2 Dow Jones: 10,588.00 1 Dow utilities: 278.85 .13 1 AMEX index: 1,253.06 1 Nasdaq composite: 2,055.11 21.75 1 500: 1,154.88 3.84 More market news, D3 or daytondailYnews.combusiness WDTN-TV to become NBC affiliate Ratings, demographics cited as reasons station will leave ABC around Sept. 1 station in the Dayton market, according to Nielsen Media Research. WKEF trails in third place in key local news slots. Bendin said Channel 2's contract with the American Broadcasting Co. ends this summer, and the station wants to improve audience draw.

"We're very excited to rejoin NBC," Bendin said. "We were an NBC affiliate. It was switched and now we are going to switch back." He said the stations' 100 employees were advised of the change Wednesday. Channel 2's parent, LIN TV of Providence, R.I., is a publicly traded company with 25 stations in the eastern and southern United States and Puerto Rico that are affiliated with several networks. WDTN is making the change because NBC programs are doing better demographically and in the ratings, a source at the station said.

Higher prime time ratings permit the broadcaster to charge higher fees for station break commercials. WKEF's Ross said the station is in contract negotiations with ABC. It is unclear what affiliation Channel 22 would have if the negotiations fail, including the possibility of the area being without an ABC affiliate. He said the 110 employees of Channel 22 and its advertising partner, WRGT-TV Channel 45, were told the news Wednesday. PLEASE SEE WDTN ON D3 By Jim Bohman jbohmanDaptonDailpNews.com MORAINE WDTN-TV Channel 2, the local ABC network station, will return to NBC later this year.

Greg Bendin, general manager, said Thursday that Channel 2 will become an NBC network affiliate around Sept. 1. Meanwhile, WKEF-TV Channel 22, an NBC affiliate since 1983, is making plans to again become an ABC network station, according to Bill Ross, general manager. Channel 2 for many years has ranked second in total viewers to WHIO-TV Channel 7, the top BUSINESS BRIEFCASE OLDER WORKERS CAN SUE OVER AGE ISSUE COLUMBUS The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that fired workers can sue over alleged age discrimination if their replacement was substantially younger but still over 40 years old. The court ruled 4-3 Wednesday in favor of a 49-year-old former Bank One Trust Company employee who claimed discrimination because a 42-year-old man replaced him.

Employment laws protect workers aged 40 and older from age-discrimination. In the past, courts have ruled that a person older than 40 can't claim age discrimination if replaced by someone who was also older than 40. In her dissent, Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton said changing the age requirement for discrimination from under 40 to "substantially younger" should be left up to lawmakers, not the court. NCR BUILDS ATM PLANT IN BRAZIL DAYTON NCR Corp. said Thursday it has opened an automated teller machine manufacturing and engineering plant in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The new plant is designed to meet the needs of the Brazilian TRAVELING MAN Dell exec switch a surprise Hit7; JH Hftk Michael Dell's right-hand man now CEO By David Koenig Associated Press DALLAS Michael Dell is stepping aside as chief executive of the computer company he started in his college dorm room 20 years ago and built into a powerhouse whose low-cost, direct-selling model revolutionized the industry. Dell, 39, will be replaced by president and chief operating Michael Dell ATM market, the third largest in the world, NCR said. The manufacturing plant will be NCR's fifth ATM factory worldwide, with an annual capacity of up to 7,000 units. NCR said it will initially employ between 75 and 100 people at the facilities, but that number will increase as the market grows. ABX AIR TO HOLD SHAREHOLDERS MEET WILMINGTON ABX Air said Thursday it will hold its first annual meeting of shareholders will be 11 a.m.

May 6 at the Roberts Convention Center in Wilmington. ABX Air is a cargo airline with a fleet of 115 aircraft that operates out of Wilmington and 11 hubs throughout the United States. It has 7,400 employees. CONSUMERS' COUNSEL TO BE SELECTED COLUMBUS The Ohio Consumers' Counsel Governing Board will meet on Monday to interview four candidates and select the new Consumers' Counsel. The interviews start at 9 a.m.

at the Verne Riffe Center, 77 S. High 31st floor, Columbus. Once the board has concluded all of the interviews and discussions of the candidates, the board will open the meeting to the public and take action on selecting the new Consumers' Counsel. officer Kevin Rollins in July, Dell Inc. announced Thursday.

However, Michael Dell will remain involved in day-to-day business as chairman. The selection of Rollins as the successor was not a surprise. He was seen as Dell's right-hand man as the company grew to become the world's leading seller of personal computers. The two men work side by side in offices separated by a sliding glass door that is left open. The timing, however, caught analysts off guard.

Dell, who became one of the richest men in America as his company grew, had given no strong signals that he would step away from the CEO's JIM WITMERDAYTON DAILY NEWS WES HAMDAN, owner of All World Travel, sits in front of an image of his Web page where he competes with other online booking companies such as Orbitz and Travelocity.com. All World works to stay competitive t'A SI ti duties. Dayton-based agency learning the ropes online The board of directors, meeting in New York, named the 51-year-old Rollins CEO effective at the annual shareholder meeting July 16. Rollins also will be nominated at the July meeting to replace a retired executive on the board. other small agencies.

Early signs show reason for hope. The recent price reduction has prompted at least one former corporate client to bring its business back to All World. But a new competitor with deep pockets is emerging. Wal-Mart Stores the world's largest retailer, last month announced Samsclubvacations.com. Wal-Mart says the new service offers the lowest prices on leisure flights and cruises.

When asked about the new service, Hamdan said, "We're not worried. It's not their bread-and-butter business." Customers complained that All World's $15 surcharge was too much when compared with the $10 surcharge competitors charged. All World recently responded by lowering its surcharge to $9. "Customers actually came and said, 'You charge $15 and they charge said Wes Hamdan, All World's owner and a 30-year travel industry veteran said. "Can you imagine for $5 they'd give up local service with a name they know and trust? So I've dropped prices.

Now there's no excuse." "I will always compete," Hamdan said. "I will always sell for $1 less." Hamdan started online travel site in July 2003, after losing 50 percent of his revenues, 20 percent of his staff and a good number of customers to online competitors. With the Web site, Hamdan hoped to generate an extra $20 million in yearly sales. Instead, the downhill slide continued. Hamdan said 26 percent of travel agencies have gone out of business during the past three years.

He often overhears agency owners at national conventions whispering about merging with The company cast the change as MORE ON OUR WEB SITE cementing the roles the two men have played recently: Dell concentrating on new technology and ways to meet customers' By Jason Roberson jrobersonDaptonDailpNeuis.com DAYTON Seven months ago, Dayton-based All World Travel announced it was starting an online travel agency. But the move failed because national competitors Orbitz.com, Travelocity.com and Expedia.com had lower prices. 4 Instant stock quotes Updated business news Archive of business news demands, and Rollins focusing on strategy and operations. Dell Inc. is based in Round DaytonDailyNews.combusiness Rock, Texas.

Court rules on Delphi shipments COMING SUNDAY Upbeat retailers swing into spring Bon-Ton sales jump 96 as consumers step lively company for price increases, saying rising steel costs were squeezing their profits. The suppliers threatened to break their contracts if Delphi didn't comply, according to wire services. It wasn't clear Thursday which suppliers were involved in the litigation, or which court issued the restraining orders. Delphi employs about 9,000 at eight Dayton-area facilities. A production disruption at Delphi could lead to parts shortages for automakers, including General Motors Delphi's largest customer and former parent company.

GM spokesman Tom Hill said as of Thursday afternoon, "there have been no stopped shipments to Delphi facilities." "We have people working around the clock to make sure GM isn't affected and production lines are humming," Hill said. GM's Moraine Assembly plant employs about 4,000 hourly workers and builds the Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy and Buick Rainier midsize sport utility vehicles. GM won't absorb higher steel prices, Hill said, "because it's all fixed prices and agreed to in advance." "We do recognize that suppliers are under pressure, and we're working through the issues," he said. "Everybody's hopeful this thing won't get out of hand." Steel prices have risen about 30 percent since the start of the year, spurred by a weak U.S. dollar and an increase in demand from China.

Steel distributors have boosted prices for smaller suppliers, which have been forced to absorb the costs because large suppliers such as Delphi won't budge from current contracts. Restraining orders served to maintain deliveries, prices By Christopher Montgomery cmontgomerpDaptonDaUpNews.com DAYTON Delphi Corp. said Thursday that a court issued restraining orders, forcing suppliers to maintain shipments to Delphi that they had threatened to stop until receiving compensation for soaring steel prices. Claudia Piccinin, a spokeswoman for the Troy, auto parts supplier, said Delphi filed the complaints to "enforce our suppliers' contractual obligations." She declined to elaborate. Wire services reported Thursday that three major suppliers to Delphi recently asked the robust January performance and a better-than-expected holiday season.

"Consumers are definitely feeling better," said Todd D. Slater, an analyst at Lazard Freres Co. "They are more upbeat about their jobs. They have more liquidity, and they're much more compelled by the fashion offerings." Bon-Ton Stores Inc. said Thursday total sales for the four weeks ended Feb.

28 were $77 million, a 96 percent increase from $39 million during the same period a year earlier. About $37 million of those sales came from Elder-Beerman Stores which it acquired in October 2003. Bon-Ton's same-store sales, or please see RETAIL on D3 By Anne D'Innocenzjo Associated Press NEW YORK Consumers' rising confidence gave the nation's retailers their third straight month of solid sales in February, with business above expectations at many retailers, including clothing and department stores. Warmer weather, tax refunds, and more appealing spring fashions contributed to the upbeat results issued Thursday. February's performance followed a CUSTOMIZED CONSTRUCTION A builder's personal residence often offers numerous extra features, and this Huber Heights home has plenty of bells and whistles.

IN THE DAYTON DAILY NEWS and online at DaytonDailyNews.com.