In the TV News Wars, the Rivalry Is Fiercer Than Ever
Date: 07 March 1997
By Lawrie Mifflin
Lawrie Mifflin
Review of intense battle for supremacy among New York City's local television news stations; NBC Channel 4 is challenging longtime overall leader, Channel 7, ABC, for overall news ratings champion; television news market in New York--biggest and most lucrative in nation--has had year of turmoil, marked by mass dismissals at one station, re-emergence of two dismissed anchors at a rival station, and a titanic battle for Nielsen ratings between two leaders; reruns for Seinfeld on Channel 11 are also challenging for top ratings in 11 to 11:30 pm slot; photos; chart (L)
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Stand-Up Synergy
Date: 06 March 1997
By Frank Rich
Frank Rich
Frank Rich Op-Ed column notes that at recent US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo, he expressed his concern to several TV executives that mammoth companies that own most of radio and TV networks will put their corporate interests ahead of news and entertainment programming (M)
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The Truth Is Inoperative
Date: 07 March 1997
Topics of The Times editorial on latest wrinkles in Clinton fund-raising fiasco; quotes with astonishment White House press secretary Mike McCurry's comment to journalists that 'your standards for accuracy are much lower than ours'
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2 Newspapers Each Are Winners Of 2 Polk Awards for Journalism
Date: 07 March 1997
By Lawrence Van Gelder
Lawrence Gelder
Long Island University announces winners of George Polk Awards for journalism; two newspapers, New York Times and Los Angeles Times, each win two of 11 Polk Awards; New York Times wins award for economics reporting for its series The Downsizing of America; one of its correspondents, John F Burns, wins foreign reporting award for his articles on takeover of Kabul, Afghanistan, by Taliban, militant Islamic group; other recipients for newspaper and television reporting listed (M)
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Bombing Suspect 'Confession' Document Is Further Disparaged
Date: 06 March 1997
By Jo Thomas
Jo Thomas
Recent Dallas Morning News article cited what it said was document from Timothy J McVeigh's legal defense team, which quoted McVeigh as saying that he drove truck with bomb that killed 168 people in Oklahoma City; McVeigh's lawyer Stephen Jones at first denounced document as hoax; he now says document was faked by defense investigator as ploy to obtain information from potential witness in case (M)
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MEDPARTNERS TO BUY AETNA PHYSICIAN-MANAGEMENT UNIT
Date: 06 March 1997
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Medpartners Inc agrees to buy Aetna US Healthcare's physician-management business, adding to nation's largest manager of doctors' offices; terms of acquisition of unit of Aetna Inc, the Aetna Professional Management Corp, are not disclosed (S)
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FIREMAN'S FUND TO BUY CROP GROWERS FOR $81.6 MILLION
Date: 07 March 1997
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Fireman's Fund Insurance Co agrees to buy Crop Growers Corp, crop insurer in Overland Park, Kan, for $81.6 million in cash; acquisition will allow Fireman's Fund to expand in the business of selling Federal insurance against crop damage to weather-related perils (S)û
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SIERRA HEALTH AND PHYSICIAN TO GO AHEAD WITH DEAL
Date: 07 March 1997
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Sierra Health Services Inc will buy Physician Corp of America under terms announced in November 1996; Sierra agreed then to buy Physician for $11.81 a share in stock, or $453.1 million, or almost triple Physician's closing price on March 6 of $4.0625, down 15.625 cents (S)
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$2.5 BILLION PRICE PUT ON MOBIL-SAUDI CHEMICAL PROJECT
Date: 06 March 1997
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Mobil Corp and Saudi Basic Industries Corp say they will spend $2.5 billion to double capacity of their petrochemicals ethylene project on Red Sea (S)
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WEIRTON STEEL TO CUT 470 JOBS IF UNION RATIFIES CONTRACT
Date: 06 March 1997
By Bloomberg News
Bloomberg News
Weirton Steel Corp will cut 470 hourly production and maintenance jobs, or 8.8 percent of its work force, if members of Independent Steelworkers Union ratify labor agreement; struggling steelmaker will pay $7,500 bonuses to each of first 350 workers who agree to quit or retire within 60 days of ratification (S)
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