Abilene Reporter-News from Abilene, Texas • 24

l'l' i "wv PAGE8B Abilene Reporter-News Friday April 16 1999 rwrriMMiinwpi i 3 1 1 WILLIAMSONDABINEWSCOM PHONE 676-6707 E-MAIL? BUSINESS EDITOR DOUG WILLIAMSON KTAB-TV sold to The broadcasting group is funded by ABKY 1 Boston Sutter said -This is a company that invests in its community i product They will do whatever ii needed" Sutter said Sook said through a press release "We have been interi ested in purchasing KTAB-TV for some time Abilene is an attractive market in which to do business and KTAB-TV is a solid station with tremendous upside potential We think that the station will fit nicely with our existing complement of television properties in Texas" The group also owns KFDX-TV in Wichita Fhlls KJAC- have received other offers over the last two years We felt Nexatar provided unique combination ofknowledge rience and commitment" io the station and the Abilene market area yi The parties expect to consummate the deal (luring the third quarter after receiving approval from the Federal Communications Commission Tferms of the transaction were not disclosed is an opportunity for KTAB-TV continue to grow to its fullest potential Sutter said The resources of Nexatar their experience with other Texas television stations and their national scope give KTAB-TV the platform it needs to continue to lead in the new millennium By DOUG WILLIAMSON Business Editor KTAB-TV has been sold to Nexatar Broadcasting Group Hie CBS affiliate will be taken over by the new owners in eariy May said Diane Sutter station manager and one of the soon-to-be former owners (Sook president and CEO of Nexatar) told our employees today (Thursday) that they will hire every employee and honor every employment contract Suter said Thursday That was part of our written agreement" The station employs 45 fidl-time and 13 part-time workers i Sutter said the station was on the market but we i I Career Fair provides networking opportunity to candidates employers ByANNALDEROCHER Staff Writer David Ellis was a little disappointed his fancy lighting Bystem was broken because he was going to use it to attract potential employees to TLC booth at the Career Fair Thursday Instead the executive vice president set up a television and other visuals at the Civic Center TLC National located in Dallas Brownwood and Abilene and the other 59 employers hoped to entice job seekers to their companies "We have had such a diversified group of people and quality people coming he said Whatever it takes District Manager Lisa Lemond of TLC National said the marketing company famous for its Conseco Supplemental Health promotion is looking for career-oriented aggressive and high-energy people TLC National promotes Conseco through brochures and other marketing tools By 11 am Lemond already had talked to about 50 people Companies were doing whatever it took to attract people to ask questions Hie Texas College of Cosmetology about to be unnoticed Angela Jumper and Jared Wqjcie-chowski students at TCC painted fingernails of those who Btopped for information As interested people took a seat and chose a color Monica Smart human resource office manager gave her recruiting campaign a try She told them the programs the school offered the cost and the benefits of a career in cosmetology Wojriechowski entered the program after he found construction what he wanted to da get to dress nice work inside and the real bonus is being around women all Jumper a single mother of two wanted to do something she would eryoy I i 9 ft Cadbury Schweppes buys Hawaiian Punch Cadbury Schweppes PLC has agreed to buy Hawaiian Punch leading brand of fruit punch (nan household goods maker Procter Gamble Co for $203 million in cash Cadbury Schweppes already dominates the noncola carbonated drinks business with its Dr Pepper 7Up and Canada Dry brands STOCKS Charles Schwab Corpt posted a 110 percent jump in first-quarter profits slightly beating Wall Street expectations but profit-takers drove down the stock price Hie McGraw-Hill Cos reported a 21 percent increase in first-quarter earnings due largely to a strong showing in its Standard Poor's credit rating subsidiary The company also publishes Business Week and other magazines Unisys Carp nearly doubled its first-quarter profit and easily beat Wall Street predictions helped by strong demand for the computer services and big business machines Polaroid Carp reported its first-quarter loss nearly doubled to $308 million as its sales declined in several overseas markets Iterra Union Pacific moving rest of Dallas holding company Union Pacific Corp is moving the rest of its Dallas-based holding company functions to Omaha effective July 1 Chairman Dick Davidson said moving the corporate finance people to Omaha last Bpring proved that corporate offices and the Omaha-based railroad operations need to be closer together Indicators Texas unemployment down slightly Growth in service-sector jobs helped shave state unemployment by four-tenths of a percentage point in March the Texas Workforce Commission reported Thursday Hie statewide unemployment rate fell from 48 percent in February to 44 percent in March Texas has reached that rate five times since April 1998 but has gone no lower Ehhnsion Hewlett-Packard to create 200 jobs in expanding Irish plant Hewlett-Packard Corp said it plans to create 200 jobs by forming a services operation unit at its inkjet-printer plant in Ireland The company currently employs 1350 people at its Leixlip Ireland manufacturing plant where it began assembling printer pens for inkjet printers in 1995 frlJiOIEUM Statoil seeks partner for United States unit Norwegian energy concern Statoil AS said it is seeking a partner for its United States unit The company said its goal for the unit Statoil Energy is to find a partner within six months Statoil Energy produces gas and generates electricity along the northeastern coast of the US and is among the 10 largest electricity sellers in the US and among the 20 For Thursday April 15 1999 Dow Jones AMEX Nasdaq WTI Posted Regina Williams a student at the Texas College of Cosmetology paints Roshiney IdlebinTs fingernails during Career Fair at the Abilene Civic Center i- KTAB 7B approach her for a job Huy wantedto relocate and Dallas was fine with them Not only were companies showing off what they had to offer Hundreds of job hopefuls were showing theirbest traits to employers 'v: Kathy husband just retired from the Air Race and she was open to Please see FAIR 7B as modified Option 1-B said Plackann is important to remember that when Congress put together the Fhnn Bill they decided to Btay out of this said Andy Solomon a spokesman for USDA chose not to do any of these reforms on their own" According to a press release issued by Stenholm the 1996 Farm Bill did leave this issue to USDA it also required public input in the development of changes to the Federal Milk Marketing Order System This bill was introduced Thursday because Please see MILK 7B FBI arrests suspect in Web hoax LOS ANGELES (AP) An employee of California-based PairGain Technologies Inc was arrested today in North Carolina on federal charges of fabricating a Bloomberg news service report and posting it on tire Internet driving up the stock The FBI arrested Gary Dale Hoke 25 at his Raleigh NG home on charges of securities fraud fix: allegedly disseminating false information about the company the US attorney's office in Los Angeles said Hoke was arraigned in North Carolina ordered to report 'to California at an unspecified date and released on $50000 bond said Assistant US Attomejr Christopher Painter The prosecutor described Please see HOAX 6B Please see some trouble getting Abilenians interested in relocating to a big city They want to stqy here" said recruiter Dana Dalorisio can tell this is a fam- ily-oriented and close-knit Hie company specializes in technical support and was looking for job seekers for entry-level tech-support employment Natasha Williams another recruiter had two soon-to-be college graduates USDA originally came out with two options for milk pricing reform 1-A and 1-B While more than 54 percent of the mem- bers of Congress made known their prefer-ence for Option 1-A Glickman announced implementation of a hybrid option known the GMAC finance subsidiary arid a turnaround in Europe as the mqjor factors in GMk record gain i GM cost-cutting The automaker narrowly surpassed its previous quarterly profit record of $209 billion set in 1997k second quarter A big contributor was cost-cutting: Losh said GM saved about $1 billion worldwide in the first quarter on track with its goal of reducing costa by $4 billion this year Ford however out-earned GM in their biggest market The Dearborn Midt-based automaker posted a $159 billion profit in North America up 57 percent from a year ago Ford said its high-profit truck sales were up 20 percent in the quarter while car sales were up 10 percent GM earned $14 billion from Ha Noth Please see AUTO 7B Smart said the school was ideal for people of any age and by doing nails the school was giving booth visitors a experience Smart said a successful day would include handing out at least 25 by end Willing to relocate? Stream a Dallas-based company had Stenholm other lawmakers push milk pricing option is important to remember that when Congress put together the Farm Bill they decided to stay out of this issue Congress chose not to do any of these reforms on their Andy Solomon i USDA spokesman By EMILEE TRLICA Staff Writer More than 130 members of Congress have agreed to disagree with the US Department of Federal Milk Marketing Order Consolidation and Reform US Rep Charles Stenholm D-Abilene was among 137 co-sponsors of House Resolution 1402 Announced Thursday this resolution known as Option 1-A would replace Agriculture Secretary Dan modified Option 1-B milk pricing formula in the Federal Milk Marketing Order which seta the price paid to daiiy- On a roll GM Ford post higher earnings GM breaks company record men for milk The bi ll mandates implementation of 1-A" said TYevor Plackann legislative assistant for IIS Rep Roy Blunt R-Mo who introduced HR i402 with US Rep John Sweeney W-NY quarter and exceeding by 31 percent its yearago performance of $16 billion or $227 a sham Ford had a 20 percent increase in operating earnings at $181 billion or $146 a share vs $1151 billion or $122 a share a year earlier resul ts compare continuing operations exdudin a one-time gain of $165 million from the isale this year of its share in -the AutoEurojia joint venture in Portugal and last $159 billion gain from the spinoff of its Associates IJirst Capital finance business Light trucks a category that includes pickups SUVs and minivans continued to boost profits 'Through the fust quarter truck sales amounted to a record 49 percent of the US market up from 48 percent last year GM finance chief Michael Losh credited the strong North American market a big improvement in the mortgage operations of By BRIAN Associated Press DETROIT Record US demand for the most profitable vehicles pickups and Bport utilities combined with ongoing cost-cutting to drive up earnings at General Motors Corp and Ford Motor Co in the first quarter even as their losses continued overseas Profit repents Thursday from the largest automakers exceeded expectations but shares of both companies lost ground on Wall Street "Overall they were excellent results because of the powerful market in the United States with very strong volume for both said analyst David Healy of Burnham Securities Inc "But every place outside of North America was Na 1 GM earned $21 billion or $304 a share setting a company record fin any 1 1 I I1 1 4 li 4 al 4 I 4 a.