Crain's Chicago Business articles from March 2003

Crain's Chicago Business archives from March 2003

Wine and food pairings enliven suburban lunch.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Bin 36)(Restaurant Review)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN Bin 36 opened a Lincolnshire branch last fall and, when it gets its act together, the wine-driven concept will be a good fit for the upscale suburb. Like the Bin 36 in downtown Chicago, only slightly smaller and...

MacArthur's bequest: Middlemen call shots.(News)(John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation changes funding procecures)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, one of the country's most prestigious and sought-after donors, is changing the way it funds many Chicago-area non-profits. More than a dozen local non-profits...

Plastics firm to expand Kankakee plant, add jobs.(Ring Container Technologies)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Crain News Service Ring Container Technologies will expand its blow molding plant in Kankakee later this year as it expands its customer base. The Oakland, Tenn.-based blow molder will add about 45,000 square feet to the...

In his zeal to cut costs, guv runs the risk of hurting biz.(Opinion)(Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Douglas L. Whitley Gov. Rod Blagojevich has called Illinois a place of opportunity where working families deserve to count on earning a good, living wage. ``I've never understood those people who love jobs but hate business,'' Gov....

Datebook.(Calendar/Datebook)(of Chicago area business meetings)(Calendar)
March 3, 2003... WEEK OF MARCH 3 MARCH 3: Small Business Development Center at Jane Addams Hull House Assn. presents Entrepreneurship Training Program. 6 to 8:30 p.m. Uptown Center Hull House, 4520 N. Beacon St. Fee: $250. (773) 561-3500. MARCH 3:...

More Investors Are At A Loss: The Flip Side; Condominium speculators face higher risk because of growing supply.(Real Estate)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Investing in new condominiums seemed like a sure thing to Michael Skeans a few years ago, but one thing he's sure of now is that he doesn't want to do it again. After seeing his friends reap six-figure returns by...

There's only limited appeal to repealing dividend tax.(Opinion)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Marc J. Lane More than 400 economists, 10 Nobel laureates among them, have harshly criticized President George W. Bush's controversial initiative to end the ``double taxation'' of corporate income. They were justified in...

Real Estate Review: 2002 Survey of downtown Chi. office space.(Chicago)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN Downtown office rents and occupancies slipper further in 2002 as plans for two new office towers fueled concerns about a future office space glut. Average asking rents downtown fell to $26.68 a square foot at the...

Profile: Developer using bids for deals on deadline.(Real Estate)(Newcastle Ltd.)
March 3, 2003... Byline: H. Lee Murphy In difficult economic times, selling real estate sometimes requires unconventional methods. The sealed-bid process, for instance, has worked well in several big transactions. Newcastle Ltd. is one of the foremost...

Executive Moves.(announces various executive appointments)
March 3, 2003... CONSUMER SERVICES H. William Singleton, 54, to regional vice-president of sales at Avon Products Inc. in Morton Grove, from national director of performance management. EDUCATION Mark Holroyd, 42, to director of education at the...

Two immigrants' tales of hard work, resilience.(Commentary)(Korean immigrants Tae H. Jihn, Kwang Dong Jo)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo There are all kinds of stories among members of the Korean-American business community in Chicago. Here, in this second column in a series, are a couple of those stories: Tae H. Jihn, CEO of Jinny Beauty Supply Co.,...

Airlines' wings clipped by heavy security tabs.(Opinion)
March 3, 2003... The problems of United Airlines and the other major carriers have largely been of their own making-allowing wages and work rules to spiral out of control, for example. But the whopping costs of aviation security in the post-Sept. 11 world...

Banks must branch out in underserved areas, too.(Opinion)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Over the past few months, the great bank branch boom has been under way. Area lenders, intent on dipping into a growing stream of low-cost deposits and new customers, are opening more branches than at any time in the past decade. Yet, in...

Lessening the pain of Divine collapse; Real estate deals soften the blow for `Flip' Filipowski.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON Not everyone suffered equally in the meltdown of Chicago's Divine Inc. While investors ranging from small public shareholders to Chicago's business elite saw the value of their holdings wiped out during the...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)
March 3, 2003... There's nothing left to tax. The Metropolitan Planning Council's Scott Goldstein, on the revenue crunch facing the south suburbs PAGE 4

Late News.(Chicago-area business news briefs)
March 3, 2003... ECONOMIC DECLINE CONTINUES LOCALLY The local economy retreated for a third consecutive month in December, weighed down by the continued manufacturing slump and weak employment. The Crain's Chicago Index fell 0.46% as all its categories...

Broadband static in Fox Valley towns; Utilities fight plan for municipal network.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Cable TV rates too high? Internet connection too slow? Maybe local government can help. In what could be an unprecedented public works project in Illinois, the three Fox River towns of Geneva, St. Charles and...

New CEO maps ambitious course; But Navistar's Ustian boxed in by legacy costs.(News)(Daniel C. Ustian of Navistar International Corp.)
March 3, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER While Navistar International Corp. has focused in recent years on cost-cutting and revamping its truck and engine line, new CEO Daniel C. Ustian wants to drive growth and restore profitability. But his...

UAL BRACES FOR LABOR SHOWDOWN; 'Starfish' clash puts unions, execs on collision course.(News)(United Airlines wants to create subsidiary low-cost airline)
March 3, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION Talk of war is in the air-and not just war in Iraq. Barring some unforeseen breakthrough, United Airlines is headed toward a bitter confrontation with its unions in Bankruptcy Court over the company's plan to...

Stroger Hosp. is running at a fever pitch; Occupancy rates at some of facility's units exceed plans.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA It'll take more than two aspirin to cure the growing pains at Cook County's new Stroger Hospital. Less than three months after the hospital opened, its medical and surgical unit-which accounts for about half of its 464...

Outdoor store's big game; Sporting goods retailer testing prototype here.(News)(Gander Mountain)
March 3, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Dozens of store managers are standing together in construction dust at the soon-to-open Gander Mountain prototype store in west suburban Geneva, straining to hold a planning meeting over the screeching drills and...

State weighing Medicaid reform; Privatization backers tout $1-billion savings.(News)
March 3, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN The state's largest health insurance lobbying group is pushing Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration to consider privatizing the Medicaid program under a proposal touted to save Illinois close to $1 billion over the...

South Cook tax rates soar; Increases deepen area's economic woes.(News)(schools hurting)
March 3, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ After jacking up its tax rate a painful 22% in just four years, you might think that Thornton Township High School District 205 is flush with the cash to buy anything it wants. Think again. The 6,000-student...

Daley sails to fifth term.(Briefs)(Mayor Richard M. Daley)(Brief Article)
March 3, 2003... Mayor Richard M. Daley easily won a fifth term in an unusually quiet election last week, with a record-low 34% of the city's registered voters casting ballots. The mayor, 60, nabbed 79% of the vote and almost 60% of the black vote. His closest...

Chicago Observer: His not-so-fun stay at the YMCA is now a matter of ward politics.(Briefs)(Rey Colon)
March 3, 2003... Byline: Steven R. Strahler YMCA executive Rey Colon, forced to quit his job last summer when he was gearing up for a City Council race, says he warned his employer, ``You guys just fired an alderman.'' The prediction-or perhaps nightmare,...

Conventions.(Calendar)
March 3, 2003... WEEK OF MARCH 3 March 3-4: Lennox Industries Inc., Hyatt Regency Chicago, estimated attendance 325. March 3-6: National Manufacturing Week, McCormick Place North and South, estimated attendance 45,000. March 5-9: Genetics Society...

More Investors Are At A Loss: The Flip Side; Condominium speculators face higher risk because of growing supply.(Real Estate)(Correction Notice)
March 3, 2003... Byline: ALBY GALLUN ***** Correction: In a March 3 story on condominium investments, Thaddeus Wong, principal at @properties, said, incorrectly, that a condo unit that was purchased at a higher price than its likely resale price was...

Business Incubators.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... Arts Bridge 2936 N. Southport Ave., Suite 210 Chicago 60657 Phone: (773) 296-0948 Fax: (773) 296-0968 E-mail: info@artsbridge.org Web site: www.artsbridge.org Contact: Angela Mendez, program director *...

Chambers of Commerce.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... America-Israel Chamber of Commerce Chicago 180 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 911 Chicago 60601 Phone: (312) 641-2937 Fax: (312) 641-2941 E-mail: info@americaisrael.org Web site: www.americaisrael.org Contact: Marlene...

Economic Development.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(a list of government offices in Illinois)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... Counties DuPage County Department of Development and Environmental Concerns 421 N. County Farm Road Wheaton 60187 Phone: (630) 682-7230 Fax: (630) 784-3773 E-mail: dec@dupageco.org Web site: www.dupageco.org/dec...

Federal Government.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(a list of US governmetn offices)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... Federal Trade Commission Midwest Region 55 E. Monroe St., Suite 1860 Chicago 60603 Phone: (877) 382-4357 Web site: www.ftc.gov, www.consumer.gov Contact: Consumer Response Line * Serves as nation's principal...

County Government.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(Cook County, Illinois, government offices)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... Chicago-Cook Business Center 69 W. Washington St., Suite 2900 Chicago 60602 Phone: (312) 603-1070 Fax: (312) 603-9971 E-mail: info@chicago-cook.org Web site: www.chicago-cook.org Contacts: Sidney Salvadori,...

City Government.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(information on Chicago's various city departments)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... The city of Chicago has a central Web page (www.cityofchicago.org) with links to each department. Department of Planning and Development 121 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1000 Chicago 60602 Phone: (312) 744-4190 Fax: (312)...

Venture Capitalists.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... Adams Street Partners LLC 1 N. Wacker Drive, Suite 2200 Chicago 60606 Phone: (312) 553-7890 Fax: (312) 553-7891 Web site: www.adamsstreetpartners.com Contact: Tom Dolson, partner * Invests in...

SBA Lenders.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)(Directory)
March 10, 2003... The following is a partial list of U.S. Small Business Administration-certified/preferred lenders in Illinois, listed alphabetically by city. The SBA generally does not make loans; it guarantees them. To talk with a counselor or get more...

Spiegel's future stands to turn on Eddie Bauer; Retailer seen closing stores, honing lines.(News)(Spiegel Inc. is focusing on its Eddie Bauer chain for its turnaround strategy)
March 10, 2003... Byline: BOB TITA With catalog retailer Spiegel Inc. fighting for survival, its Eddie Bauer chain stands to be the focal point of a turnaround strategy or the most valuable part of a liquidation. While the Spiegel catalog is considered...

Making room for a Hyatt IPO; But hotelier first must reorganize real estate, see tourism rebound.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Global Hyatt-the holding company Hyatt Corp. will create to combine aspects of its domestic and international hotel operations-has some housecleaning to do before it can host public investors. An initial public...

Divine facing federal probe.(Briefs)(Divine Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... A federal grand jury in Chicago launched a criminal investigation into Divine Inc. to find out what happened to $65 million the Chicago-based technology company collected from libraries last year to pay publishers for magazine and journal...

Local TV's hot story: Who's your anchor? WLS has most to lose, WBBM poised to gain.(News)(Chicago's televisoin stations are undergoing an upheaval as on-air personalities change jobs)
March 10, 2003... Byline: JEREMY MULLMAN While WBBM-TV/Channel 2's late news still trails reruns of ``The Simpsons'' in the ratings, the CBS affiliate's new general manager has rattled the power structure of TV news in Chicago. Joe Ahern's free-spending...

Dem fund-raisers still hedging their bets; Big backers uncommitted in prez race.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: GREG HINZ Presidential hopeful John Kerry scored a bit of a coup this winter when Loop lawyer Myron ``Mike'' Cherry agreed to help the Massachusetts senator raise funds in Chicago. Mr. Cherry has one of the most extensive...

Investors punish firms in Feb. for recent earnings stumbles.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Falling profits and the threat of war in Iraq pummeled local stocks in February. Investors showed little patience for company stumbles in a month that saw the Dow Jones Industrial Average drop 2.02% and the...

Escape from Chicago; Boeing's arrival raised hopes of luring more corporate headquarters. Instead, the exodus goes on.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: STEVEN R. STRAHLER Boeing Co.'s out-of-the-blue decision two years ago to leave Seattle was a godsend for Chicago's civic boosters, who counted on publicity over the aerospace giant's move here to stem the city's persistent loss of...

Hoping MacArthur's new team approach will work.(Opinion)(John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... For an organization with global reach, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has been a pretty good neighbor to local charities and philanthropic causes. However, it's not clear that the Chicago-based foundation will continue to be...

Group seeks biz leaders to bolster arts boards.(News )(Arts and Business Council of Chicago seeks candidates to join OnBoard)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... The Arts and Business Council of Chicago is seeking candidates to join OnBoard, its board member training and placement program. OnBoard pairs skilled business professionals with local arts organizations to encourage community participation...

Making small deals will help fulfill the big plan.(Opinion)
March 10, 2003... Chicago Metropolis 2020, drawing inspiration from Daniel Burnham's 1909 Plan of Chicago, has a high-minded vision for the region. The big-business advocate wants to coordinate land use and transit planning to rein in sprawl and make sure...

And on the French whine list: House Speaker Hastert.(Opinion)(the US backlash against France)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Paul Merrion War, said Georges Clem-enceau, France's prime minister during the First World War, is too important to be left to the generals. The same might be said for trade policy-a form of war without bloodshed-and...

Chicago Observer: A surprising face behind scenes at ComEd rate-settlement parley.(Briefs)(Cook County commissioner, Forrest Claypool discussed)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Steven R. Strahler Given his history of consumer activism and current job as an elected Cook County commissioner, Forrest Claypool might not have been expected to be huddling with Commonwealth Edison Co. officials this month as...

Late News.(Chicago revenues, executive severage at Household International, new union at United Airlines discussed)
March 10, 2003... CITY REVENUES AS WEAK AS EXPECTED Weak first-quarter tax receipts mean that the city of Chicago may have to make further layoffs, but figures are good enough that a tax hike won't be needed, according to Budget Director William Abolt....

Highbrow venues get down and dirty; Top cultural spots offering cut-rate deals.(News)
March 10, 2003... Byline: BRIAN McCORMICK The tough economy and falling attendance are prompting the city's blue-chip cultural institutions to offer cut-rate deals more characteristic of a supermarket than a symphony orchestra. The Chicago Symphony...

People: New Blue Cross exec dives into roiling health care waters.(People)(Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN As president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Gail Boudreaux faces a tricky triage challenge: quelling employers' cries over rising health care costs while quieting doctors' howls for higher compensation....

Profile: Smoothing the way for moving parts.(Technology)(Dimension Bond Corp. discussed)(Company Profile)
March 10, 2003... Byline: JAMES B. ARNDORFER Calling himself ``the ultimate tinkerologist,'' Bruce Nesbitt has made a living for 40 years by applying coatings to everything from vending machine parts to frying pans. In his latest venture, Dimension Bond...

Quote of the Week.(Quotes)(quotation from Lester Crown)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... We've had more losses than we've had additions. Industrialist Lester Crown, on the continuing exodus of corporate headquarters from Chicago PAGE 1

SBC seeking broadband deregulation; Effort to end state oversight gaining speed.(News)(SBC Communications Inc.)
March 10, 2003... Byline: JULIE JOHNSSON SBC Communications Inc. is pushing Illinois lawmakers to deregulate its broadband services just two years after the General Assembly beefed up state oversight of telecommunications-measures some credit with spurring...

Real Estate Review: Lake Cty. retail growth pushes into Mundelein.(Real Estate)(Lake County, Illinois)
March 10, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY With commercial construction leveling off in Vernon Hills, developers are looking to Mundelein as the new nexus of growth in Lake County. Mid-Northern Equities Ltd., a Northbrook retail developer, plans to build...

Sears' finances show soft side.(News)(Sears Roebuck and Co.)(Company Profile)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SANDRA JONES Operational problems are turning into financial woes for Sears, Roebuck and Co. Sears' inability to stem the long-term decline of its stores and to cap rising delinquencies in its credit card portfolio has begun...

Dominick's woes benefit little guys; Independent grocers thrive by serving niches.(News)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: H. LEE MURPHY Amid a standoff with disgruntled employees in recent months, California-based Safeway Inc. has complained bitterly about the Chicago-area grocery market and the company's struggling Dominick's Finer Foods division....

When it comes to equality, golfing CEOs are duffers.(Membership in the Augusta National Golf Club)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Lester Munson Just as I was starting to relish my standing as an old white guy, along came Hootie Johnson. What is wrong with this guy? It's bad enough that Mr. Johnson picked a fight that he cannot and should not win,...

ICC staff: Nicor's big, $27-mil. lie; Utility blasted for holding back gas plan's profit info.(Illinois Commercer Commission)
March 10, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS The staff of the Illinois Commerce Commission is accusing Nicor Inc. of lying repeatedly to regulators about the true profit motives behind its now-discredited alternative natural gas-purchasing plan and is urging the...

NO EXCUSES; Venture capitalists have tough words for the entrepreneurs they're backing. They don't care about the gloomy economy or other factors. They want to see results. And fast.(Small Business)
March 10, 2003... Byline: MARCEL PACATTE To small business people wondering how to keep investors happy when the economy causes performance to fall short of projections, Steve Beitler has a simple, if sobering, answer. ``I don't know that they can,'' he...

Pair of old-line Italian spots are new again.(Dining/Restaurant Review)(Restaurant Review)
March 10, 2003... Byline: ANNE SPISELMAN New owners are trying to put their stamp on a couple of old-line Italian restaurants. Sorriso recently morphed into Blandino's Sorriso Ristorante (312 N. Clark St.; 312/644-0283), while Rico's has become Caffe La...

Associations.(Small Business Resource Guide 2003)
March 10, 2003... American Franchisee Assn. 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 205 Chicago 60604 Phone: (312) 431-0545 Fax: (312) 431-1132 E-mail: sjcrawfordafa@aol.com Web site: www.franchisee.org Contact: Samuel Crawford, director of...

Futuristic system would synchronize hospital care.(Technology)
March 10, 2003... Byline: SARAH A. KLEIN Note to the scriptwriters of ``E.R.'': If general surgeon Jonathan Silverstein succeeds in developing a futuristic system to transmit and project images of patients, your scenes will have to be less chaotic. ...

WIND FARMS STIR CONTROVERSY : Power play; Projects gaining momentum from political shift and better technology.
March 10, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION Despite some legal and political crosscurrents, there's a stiff tailwind behind a new source of electricity coming to Illinois. More than 1,000 megawatts of wind-generated capacity are on the drawing boards for...

Koreans pave way for other immigrant entrepreneurs.(Korean-American businesses in Chicago)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Joe Cappo (Last in a series on Korean-American businesses in Chicago.) When civil disturbances erupted in Los Angeles after the unpopular 1992 Rodney King court decision, many of the rioters targeted their anger at Korean-owned...

As investments cool, Peoples feels chill.(Slumping returns on pension plan investments are cooling off profit growth at Peoples Energy Corp. )
March 10, 2003... Byline: STEVE DANIELS Slumping returns on pension plan investments are cooling off profit growth at Peoples Energy Corp. In recent years, the Chicago-based natural gas utility holding company could count on its pension investments for...

Executive Moves.(In the Chicago area)
March 10, 2003... FINANCIAL SERVICES Stephen E. Green, 40, to senior vice-president of corporate banking at National City Bank of Michigan/Illinois, from vice-president of corporate banking. Also, Tony Kallsen, 35, to senior vice-president of credit...

Feds probe UAL's work for military; Another blow to United's financial recovery plan.(News)(United Airlines investigated by Air Force, Department of Justice)
March 10, 2003... Byline: PAUL MERRION The Air Force and Department of Justice are investigating allegations that United Airlines did improper repair work and falsified maintenance records on military cargo planes used extensively in preparations for war...

About Nicholson.(Blink: The News Behind The News)(David Sheehan gets brief interview with Jack Nicholson)
March 10, 2003... For a quarter century David Sheehan, Entertainment Editor of KCBS-TV in L.A., has prided himself on getting all best actor and actress nominees for his annual syndicated Academy Awards Preview, which starts airing March 14. He snared Nicole...

Picture of the week.(Blink: The News Behind The News)
March 10, 2003... Who says the unicorn is extinct? CSTV: College Sports Television, which launches April 7, has adopted the mythical creature as its mascot, and recently put him to work answering phones at HQ in New York City's Chelsea Piers. It's Your Turn...

Producers bowling for budgets.(Blink: The News Behind The News)
March 10, 2003... The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, at the Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Beverly Hills, Calif., asked fellow panelist J.J. Abrams how he finishes effects-laden Alias episodes on time and within budget,...

Spotlight.(Calendar/Datebook)(Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony discussed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... March 10 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony The 18th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony takes place Monday, March 10, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. The event will run March 16 on VH1. This...

Social Network.(Calendar/Datebook)(awards discussed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... March 23 12th Annual Night of 100 Stars Oscar Gala Presented by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation and Norby Walters, underwritten by Future Media Productions, at the Beverly Hills (Calif.) Hotel. Information: 310-289-8660 or...

The ABCs of War.(TV Currents)(discussion of military's preparation for war in Iraq )(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Sanjay Gupta CNN medical correspondent In the middle of the northern desert, just kilometers from the Iraqi border, the U.S. military is preparing for a different sort of war. As they prepare, they go over their ABCs, which in...

Success Stories: Speaking to Asian viewers; Marketing San Francisco DMA.(Advertising)(television advertising discussed)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Sheree R. Curry The preferred news source for 72 percent of Chinese American viewers in the San Francisco-San Jose-Oakland DMA is television, according to a December 2002 study commissioned by the independent Asian-language...

As Go Auto Ads, So Goes Spot TV; Primedia Forum Focuses on Drug, Entertainment, Car Ad Segment Strengths.(Advertising)(Industry Overview)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Louis Chunovic The prospect of war and economic uncertainties made for gloomy forecasts and cloudy crystal balls when senior agency, advertising and network executives gathered in Manhattan last week for a state of the advertising...

Press Eyes Exit Strategy; Correspondents Nervously Examining Their Options for Evacuating Baghdad.(TV Currents)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Michele Greppi It's what some 200 journalists still at their posts in Baghdad don't know that could kill them. Should they stay or should they go? If they go, when should they go? They only thing their news organizations...

TNN Calling All Young Males; Net Remaking Itself Yet Again, Plans Animated Stern Series.(Howard Stern may star in animated television program)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Louis Chunovic Howard Stern is in talks for a new scripted series that would be seen on The New TNN. It would be an animated show and focus on one of the subjects Mr. Stern refers to with regularity on his weekday nationally...

War Journals.(TV Currents)(so-called "embedded" journalists discussed)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Byline: The Editors As the nation moves closer to a war with Iraq, it is not only the troops stationed in the Gulf region that anxiously await marching orders. An army of reporters, cameramen, photographers and support personnel are also...

Quick Takes; Are teens well served by television?(Press Room)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... ``I think it is up to the teens, the parents and broadcasters to make sure young adults are well served by picking the right programs available on TV each day. One NBC program that stands out in my mind is American Dreams on Sunday evenings.''...

MSNBC Takes a Wrong Turn; Sudden Shift in Philosophy Could Come Back to Haunt Cable Network.(MSNBC Cable Network hires Michael Savage)
March 10, 2003... MSNBC may think it's being sly as a Fox by hiring a fleet of conservative commentators and jettisoning unabashed liberal Phil Donahue. But the network, which has traditionally featured relatively balanced news coverage, may not be prepared for...

Close up: Neal Kirsch.(Neal Kirsch named CFO at Discovery Networks)(Brief Article)
March 10, 2003... Discovery Networks has named Neal Kirsch chief financial officer. Mr. Kirsch recently served as chief financial officer for Discovery Networks International. He will oversee all financial management activities, including business planning,...

A Blizzard of Viewers; Cold Weather Helps Push Strips to Season Highs.(TV Currents)
March 10, 2003... Byline: Chris Pursell The one-two punch provided by a national holiday and a blizzard in the Northeast proved a boon for syndicated series during the third full week of sweeps, according to Nielsen Media Research. A slew of series reached...

Datebook.(television programming companies conference calender)(Calendar)
March 10, 2003... MARCH 12-13 World Congress of Sports Sponsored by SportsBusinessJournal and Octagon, at the Waldorf-Astoria, New York. Information: Dmitry Prut, 800-647-7600 or dmitry@ worldrg.com; or www .sportscongress.com. 15 Seventh Annual...

Advance Planning.(television prgramming conferences)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 10, 2003... April 8-10 Sportel Asia Sponsored by Monaco Mediax, at the InterContinental Hotel, Hong Kong. Information: Liliane or William Vitale, 201-869-4022; vitcomusa@earthlink.net; www.sportelasia.org; or www.sportelmonaco.com. April 15...