Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 31

USINE DIGEST 2C MARKETS 4-9C MUTUAL FUNDS 8-9C Star-Telegram wwstar-telegramc'om Oil prices on verge i of a fall experts say OPEC meeting may trigger quick decrease State sues alleging drug overcharges Three pharmaceutical companies are accused By rah Lummy Star Telegram Staff Writer than $20 million for respiratory disease medications that have been i IT-I By Dan Piiikr Sur-Tdcgram Suff Wnter As President Clinton and other world leaders wrung their hands yesterday about a 10-year high in crude oil prices some energy traders were putting out the word that oil prices could tumble and soon They say that contrary to recent reports there is no shortage of crude oil Rather they say the recent run-up of crude prices above $30 per barrel reflects artificial trading conditions Thus the expected increase in production by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries this weekend could trigger a sudden fall in crude oil prices A drop in crude oil prices would be a mixed blessing in (More on OIL on Page 3C) distributed since 1995 Texas Attorney General John Cornyn filed the suit under the state Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act and is seeking a total of $79 million in penalties and paybacks false pricing scheme is illegal and it is Cornyn said at a Dallas news conference (More on CORNYN on Page IOC) The Assouated PressLM On ro DALLAS The state filed suit Thursday against three national pharmaceutical companies accusing them of overcharging the Medicaid program and stealing from taxpayers The suit filed in State District Court in Austin alleges that Warrick Pharmaceuticals Dey and Roxane Laboratories overcharged Medicaid program by more Texas Attorney General John Cornyn at a Thursday news conference in Dallas holds one of the drugs linked to a lawsuit alleging that three drug companies schemed to overcharge the Medicaid program Highlights VIDEO ADS TO TARGET MOTORISTS REFUELING AT CONVENIENCE STORES Lockheed JSF I RIVALS SIDE BY SIDE Two rival designs of the next-generation joint strike fighter will be tested side by side at Edwards Air Force Base in California but the public should not expect a Sur- vmv-type contest in the bid for the largest weapon contract in US history 2C I Jl I I 1 UPS seeks to block post office FedEx pact The old rivals are in talks about a deal to cooperate on some deliveries ByDweHirsciiman Cox News Service ATLANTA United Parcel Service Corp officials said Thursday that they will seek to block a proposed alliance between FedEx Corp and the US Postal Service on legal and public policy grounds government favor one pri- vate company to the exclusion of all said Tad Segal a UPS spokesman in Washington going to be a lot of pressure to analyze whether this is in the best interest of US taxpayers and whether fair to government workers It's far from certain that the Postal Service is going to be able to pull this Norman Black another UPS spokesman said the company also intends to fight any FedExPostal Service collaboration in the marketplace would anyone pay FedEx prices (More on FEDEX on Page 3C) WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU QWEST LAYOFFS ji Qwest Communications International is cutting 1 1000 jobs about 15 percent of its work force as part of its plans to refocus and streamline operations after its acquisition of regional phone company US West 2C By Sandra Baker Star-Telegram Staff Writer Just when advertisers are struggling to find more time with consumers William Hall believes that he has found the answer Once maybe twice a week consumers have to buy gas so what better place than at the gas pump to draw attention? have nothing to do in front of the gas Hall says After a five-month test program at the Drivers Travelmart on Interstate 35 near Northeast 28th Street in Fort Worth the chief executive of BillBoard Video is ready to roll out this new advertising method He calls it the Wireless Media Network or a system that provides Internet-delivered video directly to the gas pump Translated it means watching a three-minute loop of commercials on a 121-inch screen installed at the pump creating is an out-ofhome media he said Hall developed the idea for the new medium about four years ago while working with a company that built gas stations in front of grocery stores Hall was installing six-inch video monitors that ran advertisements to help increase store sales That system used satellite feeds which he said too SAVINGS BILL A bill raising contribution limits for individual retirement accounts and 40 1 (k) plans cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday despite President concern that it do enough to help low-income people save for retirement ioc PEAPOD REPLACEMENT GroceryWorkscom will immediately replace Peapod as the exclusive online provider for Safeway the parent company of Tom Thumb and Online grocer Peapod is ending service in Dallas Houston Austin and Colum- bus Ohio 1 IOC Residential customers would have FedEx packages delivered to their door by postal carriers Those carriers could also pick up packages FedEx would collect parcels from post offices Consumers could ship packages larger than the Postal Service accepts The agreement change overnight delivery service mostly used by businesses which provides Internet-delivered video ads directly to the gas pump have nothing to do in front of the gas pump" Hall says and at night The monitors are equipped with motion detectors that start the commercials as a car pulls up to the pump took several months to he said was a lot of trial and (More on PUMP on Page 3C) Hall left that company last year to further develop the technology and improve the screens and start his company He uses video technology that makes the picture brighter and more colorful and enables it to be viewed in sunlight WHAT WE'RE CREATING IS AN OUT-OF-HOME MEDIA NETWORK' William Hall BillBoard Video chief executive THE MARKETS DOW JONES 1125987 -5077 NASDAQ 409835 8501 OIL FUTURES Contract for Oct $3539 49 cents POSTED PRICE North Texas Crude Oil $3250 $1 50 GAS FUTURES Contract for Oct $4 99 8 cents KXTX to be part of Azteca TV network Channel 39 being bought by new Spanish-language system ByAndreaAhies Star-Telegram Staft Wnter FORT WORTH Independent station KXTXChannel 39 will become part of a new nationwide Spanish-language TV network Azteca America Azteca America formed Thursday by Mexican programmer TV Azteca and California-based station operator Pappas Telecasting Companies will purchase KXTX for about $86 million from Tom Hicks The deal will close in 60 to 90 days and Channel 39 will begin broadcasting Spanish programming Jan 1 said Harry Pappas chairman and chief executive of Azteca America Pappas said the Metroplex is a and 1500 foot tower in Cedar Hill will give the Spanish-language station a powerful transmitter The station (More on KXTX on Page 3C) Associates Financial lease unsure with merger pending Citigroup is purchasing the worldwide financial company By Renee Lee Slur-Telegram Staff Writer BEDFORD Associates Financial Services Co a worldwide diversified financial company has leased 90000 square feet at 121 Airport Centre but its merger this week with Citigroup has left the status of the deal uncertain DalMac Property Services developer of the 140000-square-foot office complex announced the lease Tuesday The next day Associates announced that it is being bought by Citigroup the largest financial services firm Before the merger Associates had plans to move 550 employees into the Bedford office complex on Dec 1 said Lisa Avila spokeswoman for Dalmac Properties But Leah Johnson director of communication for Citigroup said an integration team will be formed to make decisions about personnel and office locations Johnson said it was too early to talk about what may happen at specific (More on LF ASEon Page IOC) For today's Telegram and more news and features goto wwwstar-telegramcom Sur IVIeKramTlM BfcDISON i RfWfl BHiWanfflTiMhjii MMl'i ath-biit nbfliHM.