Sunday, December 28, 1997

12/28/97: Barnes Noble, Pearson, Readers Digest, Scholastic

Summary:
Sun Media Corporation IPO
Readers Digest Annual Meeting: No Family Affair
For the Kids, Scholastic Says 'So Long, SOHO'
Board Changes at Pearson plc
Starwood to sell ITT directories unit for $2.1 billion
Town & Country
Knight-Ridder, NYT Report Online Losses
Barnes & Noble, AOL Make Deal

RECENT NEWS

Sun Media Corporation IPO
TORONTO, Dec. 3 /CNW-PRN/ - Sun Media Corporation announced that it has filed a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in each of the provinces of Canada for a combined initial public offering and secondary offering of approximately 23 million common shares in such provinces at a price of $13.50 per share. Sun Media is the second largest daily newspaper publishing group in Canada in terms of circulation and currently publishes five daily newspapers in major urban centers in Canada (The Toronto Sun, The Edmonton Sun, The Calgary Sun, The Ottawa Sun and The London Free Press) and The Financial Post, which is 80% owned by Sun Media. Sun Media's Community Newspaper Group also publishes five daily community newspapers, 80 weekly community newspapers and shopping guides in Canada and in Florida and 17 farming and other specialty publications. SOURCE Sun Media Corporation

Readers Digest Annual Meeting: No Family Affair
Reader's Digest held its annual shareholders meeting last week and, unlike many of the 75-year old company's publications, it was far from family fare. Angry shareholders complained about flagging share prices, fiscal irresponsibility and ineffective leadership, according to Reuters. Among the complaints: the company reportedly borrowed $100 million this year to pay out a 90 cent dividend. Under questioning, the company reportedly admitted that it actually had not earned its dividend for the past three years. Meanwhile chairman and CEO George Grune urged dissenters to be patient. As part of a promised turn-around, he reportedly said the company was re-evaluating its business alliances with Meredith Corp., PBS, Sears, Roebuck and Co., Spiegel Inc. and Avon Products Inc.

The company also was lambasted for its aging board. For example, one shareholder reportedly singled out board member Melvin Laird who, at 75, was the U.S. Secretary of State under former President Richard M. Nixon. The company paid Laird $400,000 for consulting services last year. Mediacentral: 12/16

For the Kids, Scholastic Says 'So Long, SOHO' (Folio: First Day)
Scholastic Corp. certainly is serious about this core-business-focus stuff that corporations are always prattling about in their life-imitates-Dilbert manner. To hear Scholastic executive VP Hugh Roome tell it, the $1-billion children's publisher will unburden itself of several profitable operations when it completes the sale of its SOHO Group [small office/home office] to privately held CurtCo Freedom Group in the next four weeks. The plum properties in the deal, announced last Thursday and valued at $20 million, are Home Office Computing -- launched 15 years ago by Scholastic as Family Computing -- and HOC offshoot Small Business Computing.

Roome, hired by New York-based Scholastic seven years ago to re-launch Family Computing as HOC, says that both HOC and SBC are profitable; so, he said, is Scholastic's six-year-old SOHO Custom Publishing unit. Its projects have included Small Business, produced for Microsoft, and Small Business Handbook, of which it sold 100,000 copies to AT&T. The unit also puts out four newsletters with total circulation of 2 million. Other properties acquired by CurtCo include HOC Online (www.smalloffice.com), which Roome said has sold out its banner-ad space 18 months running. Roome said the SOHO Group's 50-odd employees will move to Curt Co's expanding offices on West 56th Street in Manhattan and that he doesn't believe any of those personnel will be cut. In its announcement of the acquisition, the privately held CurtCo, based in Malibu, CA, pointed to the "synergy" Scholastic's SOHO Group has with such CurtCo magazines -- it publishes 21 along with 27 daily newspapers -- as Portable Computing Direct Shopper, Mobile Computing & Communications and Sales & Field Force Automation.

HOC's paid circulation rose by 2.4% to 461,353, thanks to a 20,000-plus increase in subscriptions to 441,000 in the first six months of 1997 compared with the first half of '96, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation’s. Single-copy sales averaged 20,361, a 32% decline. Ad pages through November totaled 903, a 1.5% improvement over 890 in the first 11 months of '96; ad dollars rose 15.8% to $22.4 million from $19.4 million, according to Publishers Information Bureau. Small Business Computing, launched in January 1996, has controlled circulation of 140,000. CurtCo president and CEO William J. Curtis didn't return calls from First Day, but Roome said CurtCo "has intentions to expand the magazines' circulation’s in many dimensions and build other spin-off properties."

Sources familiar with the transaction's history said bidders for Scholastic's SOHO Group at one time or another have included Inc. magazine and Cowles Business Media. Roome acknowledges that it received unsolicited bids for the SOHO Group four years ago; at that time, those same sources said, the SOHO Group could have fetched a much higher price. New York investment banking firms DeSilva & Phillips Inc. and Veronis, Suhler & Associates Inc. represented CurtCo and Scholastic, respectively, in the transaction. (Neil Cassidy) Source: Mediacentral 12/15

Board Changes at Pearson plc
David Veit and Pehr Gyllenhammar are to step down from the board of directors of Pearson plc. David Veit, 59, an executive director and president of Pearson Inc, will retire at the company’s annual general meeting next May. He has been a Pearson director since 1981 and the senior Pearson executive in the United States for more than twenty years. Pehr Gyllenhammar, 62, who has been a non-executive director since 1983, will retire from the board at the end of December 1997. Source: Pearson plc 17th December 1997

Starwood to sell ITT directories unit for $2.1 billion
NEW YORK, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Starwood Lodging Trust, the victor in one of the year's biggest takeover fights, began on Thursday to break apart its prize. The real estate and hotel investment trust announced plans to sell ITT Corp.'s highly-profitable telephone directories business for $2.1 billion to Dutch publisher NV Verenigd Bezit VNU (OTC BB:VNUNY - news; VNUN.AS). The sale, which is contingent upon the completion of the proposed $10.2 billion ITT-Starwood transaction, came sooner than expected and is the first of several non-core assets expected to be sold by Starwood. Phoenix-based Starwood said it would use proceeds of the sale to reduce debt associated with the acquisition of ITT.
VNU, one of the world's largest information companies, is the dominant publisher of consumer magazines in the Netherlands and Belgium. It said the directories business had sales of about $545 million last year and earnings before interest, taxes and depreciation of about $178 million. ``This fits very well with our present portfolio. Half of (ITT World Directories) is aimed at the consumer, but the other half is aimed at the business to business segment,'' VNU Chief Financial Officer Frans Cremers said in Amsterdam. The Dutch firm was one of several companies that had expressed interest to ITT earlier this year when it was selling assets to defend itself against Hilton's hostile bid. ITT later abandoned that plan and sealed a transaction with Starwood. Although the unit has strong profit margins, it is a slow-growth business and was not considered to be a core asset for either ITT or Starwood.
VNU also publishes newspapers in the Netherlands and is active in business information in the United States and Europe. Cremers said in an interview that the ITT directories business was about evenly split between consumer and professional markets, like VNU itself. ``We are committed to both sectors. We want to grow in three areas: marketing information, trade journals and consumer information,'' he said. Cremers said VNU also had been attracted to ITT World Directories because the company.

For Those Last Minute Gifts… Town & Country's Top Ten Gift Ideas for the Holiday Season
Addressing different aspects of life such as beauty, kitchen and home, clothing and charity, Editor-in-Chief Pamela Fiori suggests imaginative gifts in a variety of price ranges. With that in mind, her favorite beauty picks include: --Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Lifting Cream ($150) --Annick Goutal Eau d'Hadrian in a Baccarat bottle ($550) --Bliss Spa Gift Basket ($50-$200); call 888/243-8825 Kitchen and Home. Among Fiori's suggestions for the domestic sphere are: --Fresh caviar from Caviarteria --Aluminum cultivator from Smith & Hawken ($7) --Magafesa Rapid II 8 quart pressure cooker ($109) --Hurrell's Hollywood Portraits (Abrams, $39.95). Classic clothing and accessories, can have added panache when special attention is paid to choosing unique fabrics or decorations. to bring an imaginative touch to these standards try: --Anything cashmere --Costume Brooches, Art Deco Jewels ($65). With respect to charity; "Giving to a charity of a favorite cause unites friends and family in the true holiday spirit -- thinking of others," states Fiori. She suggests: --A donation to the African Wildlife Foundation (202-939-3333) or the Nature Conservancy (800-628-6860) in a friend's name.

ON-LINE NEWS:

Knight-Ridder, NYT Report Online Losses
Both Knight-Ridder and The New York Times reported tens of millions of dollars in losses for their New Media ventures for 1997 at the Paine Webber Media Conference here in New York. Yet both companies emphasized their optimism that revenues will increase next year, with possible profitability by 2000. Knight-Ridder will spend about $27 million this year on its 32 web sites but will take in only $11 million in revenue, according to chairman P. Anthony Ridder. Outlays for next year probably will be the same if not higher, but revenue also is expected to grow. Meanwhile the Internet is a valuable investment, said Ridder, pointing to his San Jose Mercury News, which has a daily circulation of 287,000 while drawing 1.2 million readers a month to its Web site. Knight-Ridder also is talking with the Tribune Co. and Washington Post about developing their online real estate and auto classified businesses. Knight-Ridder may part in the real estate portion, but Ridder said his company is not interested in becoming the third, full partner in the effort. Ridder said that he was "disappointed" with this year's debut of the New Century Network -- nine major newspapers sharing a common Web site aimed at luring national advertisers online -- and is looking at ways improve the site. Meanwhile, The Times expects a $12 million to $15 million loss for 1997 and an $8 million to $11 million loss next year, when it will launch its New York Today local content Web site and broaden its Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com) site. Despite its red ink, The Times' Web site (http://www.nytimes.com) has nearly 3 million registered users and is growing at the rate of about 200,000 users per month. Source: Mediacentral 12/12/1997

Barnes & Noble, AOL Make Deal
Barnes & Noble on Tuesday said it is paying America Online $40 million to be the exclusive seller of books on the nation's largest online service, shutting out Amazon.com and other major sellers of books on the Internet. Amazon.com, based in Seattle, is not currently promoting its books across America Online's network. But the Barnes & Noble Inc. deal locks up AOL for the next four years and expands where the bookseller can show ads, including the service's financial, travel and entertainment sites, and with its international subscribers.
The deal is the latest this year with America Online Inc., which has staked its future profits on revenues from advertisers. In exchange for helping to promote their products, the Dulles, Va.-based company is receiving more than $225 million from companies including CUC International Inc., a buying club, and Tel-Save Holdings Inc., a seller of long-distance telephone service.
By clicking on the Barnes & Noble icon, AOL's 10 million subscribers can link up to the company's Internet site and order books. "Effectively it gives us great positioning, locks out the competition, and gives us the next four years" of exclusive advertising, Barnes & Noble vice chairman Steve Riggio said. An Amazon.com did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. America Online declined to comment. Amazon.com continues to sell books over AOL's World Wide Web site. December 16, 1997 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Wednesday, December 10, 1997

12/10/97: Reader's Digest, Reed Elsevier, Kluwer, Thomson

Summary
Shareholder Unrest Brewing At Reader's Digest
Dow Jones Teams Up With NBC: Companies Hope to Stem Losses Abroad With TV-Internet Partnership
Wolters Plans Acquisition Of Thomson Publications
Penguin Putnam Inc. Announces Publishing Partnership With DreamWorks SKG
Thomson Financial Publishing to Expand Electronic Commerce Initiatives
Harcourt General Announces Results For Fourth Quarter And Full Year
Reed Elsevier: Update on Trading and on Progress on Proposed Merger with Wolters Kluwer:
National Geographic Chief Quits: John Fahey Moves Up in Society as Reg Murphy Suddenly Moves Out
Wolters Kluwer Reed Elsevier
New York Times Says It Plans Acquisition In 1999

RECENT NEWS

Shareholder Unrest Brewing At Reader's Digest
(Book Publishing Report) A minority shareholder is going forward with its bid to place two candidates on the Reader's Digest board of directors, despite the fact that the company has politely refused its request. Making matters worse for Reader's Digest-which will hold what could be a fractious annual meeting this Friday (12th)-is the fact that shareholder Corporate Value Partners has chosen to conduct its efforts publicly. The shareholder discord is just the latest problem to beset Reader's Digest, which has been struggling to reverse an alarming drop in its financial performance caused by a steadily eroding customer base (BPR, Aug. 18). BPR has learned that Barbara Morgan, senior vice president and editor in chief of the company's Books and Home Entertainment Products division, is leaving the company. The division's operating income sank 37.5% to $201.1 million on revenues that fell 11.9% to $1.85 billion in fiscal 1997, ended June 30. Morgan is the latest in a series of executive departures that began with chief executive officer James Schadt's forced resignation in August. Since then, CFO Stephen Wilson, senior VP of strategic planning Glenda Burkhart, senior VP and general counsel Paul Soden and RD Europe president Martin Pearson have also left.

Dow Jones Teams Up With NBC: Companies Hope to Stem Losses Abroad With TV-Internet Partnership
After a year of talks, media giants Dow Jones & Co. and General Electric Co.'s NBC division announced today that they will form a global television and Internet partnership cementing the brands internationally and tempering losses both companies are experiencing in their overseas operations. The merger will consolidate the two companies' business-news channels in Europe and Asia -- cutting costs and expanding each side's distribution -- while also adding Dow Jones news, and perhaps interviews with its Wall Street Journal reporters, to CNBC's programming in the United States. Dow Jones lost $48 million in its television ventures last year, while NBC 's subsidiary CNBC lost $15 million in Asia. NBC will pay a licensing fee to Dow Jones but did not disclose how much. CNBC will now be known both domestically and internationally as "a service of NBC and Dow Jones. For Dow Jones, the alliance comes at a time when Kann is under intense pressure from the company's board to curtail money-losing operations. Revenue from this deal, as well as the cash from several recent deals to license the well-known market barometer Dow Jones industrial average as a vehicle for the trading of futures and options contracts, will enhance the company's bottom line. But Kann's larger problem, analysts said, is Dow Jones Markets, the real-time news and data service formerly known as Telerate, which is losing market share to competing services run by Reuters Holdings PLC and Bloomberg Financial Markets. Kann announced a controversial plan in January to spend $650 million to revive the ailing unit, which drew the ire of shareholders and certain members of the Bancroft family, which controls 70 percent of the voting shares of Dow Jones stock and has four of the 15 seats on the company's board of directors. After pressure from outsiders and a fresh look at the plan by Dow Jones's board, the company changed course and announced it was "exploring options" regarding Dow Jones Markets, including the sale of the unit. "It has got to be sold," said Michael Price, the influential money manager who holds 4.1 million shares of Dow Jones stock and has been pushing the company since January to sell the flagging unit. Still, one of the things Kann has been criticized for is not doing enough to leverage the Dow Jones franchise as a premiere provider of financial news. Today's deal will help give the company a worldwide television platform to showcase its stories. CNBC will have worldwide television rights to Dow Jones stories and plans to set up studios at the Wall Street Journal's headquarters in the World Financial Center in downtown Manhattan. For NBC , the move strengthens its CNBC subsidiary, which is accessible in 65 million households and is projecting a $100 million profit this year. On the Internet, the Web site run by MSNBC -- an existing NBC -Microsoft Corp. joint venture -- will provide highlights from the Wall Street Journal, flagged under the CNBC/Dow Jones logo. As part of today's deal, Dow Jones acquired a third of MSNBC Business Video, which delivers video clips from corporate speeches and conferences to clients' computers. Both NBC and Dow Jones acknowledged that fourth-quarter earnings may be pinched by restructuring costs related to today's announcement. December 10, 1997 Copyright (c) 1997 The Washington Post Received via NewsEDGE

Wolters Plans Acquisition Of Thomson Publications
AMSTERDAM -- Dutch publisher Wolters Kluwer NV said it agreed to acquire scientific and medical publisher Thomson Science from Thomson Corp. of Canada. Wolters Kluwer didn't provide financial details of the planned transaction. However, the company said it expects the deal to be completed around the end of the year. Wolters said a significant number of Thomson Science's medical publications fit well with those of Wolters' U.S. medical publisher Lippincott-Raven, while its general scientific publications complement those of Wolters Kluwer Academic Publishing. Wolters said the acquisition won't include the German medical and scientific publications of Thomson Science. Wolters Kluwer's core activities include the legal, medical, educational, and other scientific and professional fields. Its principal operations are in the U.S. and eight European countries including Spain, Italy, Germany and France. Copyright (c) 1997 Dow Jones and Company, Inc.

Penguin Putnam Inc. Announces Publishing Partnership With DreamWorks SKG
NEW YORK, Dec. 9 Penguin Putnam Inc. has signed a multi- year strategic license agreement with DreamWorks Consumer Products, it was announced today by Douglas Whiteman, Executive Vice President of Penguin Putnam. The deal grants Penguin Putnam publishing rights for at least the first five animated feature films for DreamWorks Pictures, as well as the option to propose publishing programs for other DreamWorks properties, including live action motion pictures, animated and live action TV programs and direct-to-video films. Penguin Putnam's rights encompass most book formats with a suggested retail price of $4.00 and above. Penguin Putnam is currently working on more than two dozen titles in support of the 1997-1998 motion pictures set for release from DreamWorks Pictures. The first four books shipped in early November and are based on the film Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg. Penguin Putnam is also developing a range of titles and formats for Small Soldiers (Summer 1998). Directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace) and with special effects from Stan Winston Studio and Industrial Light & Magic (The Lost World: Jurassic Park), the film tells the story of a small town that is overtaken by artificially intelligent toys. Grosset & Dunlap plans six titles, including a movie storybook and a top secret dossier, all capturing the innovative look of the film. In support of DreamWorks' first animated film The Prince of Egypt (Holiday 1998), Penguin Putnam is developing titles in at least a dozen formats, with age-appropriate content for both adults and children, and honoring the ground-breaking animation style of the film. SOURCE Penguin Putnam Inc via Businesswire

Thomson Financial Publishing to Expand Electronic Commerce Initiatives
Thomson Financial Services announced today the acquisition of The EDI Group, Ltd. by its Thomson Financial Publishing unit. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The EDI Group is a professional services organization specializing in providing the highest quality research, publication and education services to companies participating in the EDI and Electronic Commerce marketplace. The EDI Group also offers public and private courses in EDI, EC and financial EDI/EFT. In addition, The EDI Group publishes quarterly a professional journal; EDI FORUM: The Journal of Electronic Commerce. Source Businesswire

Harcourt General Announces Results For Fourth Quarter And Full Year
Harcourt General, Inc. (NYSE:H) today reported that its Harcourt Brace publishing businesses achieved strong year-over-year gains in the fourth quarter of fiscal 1997, resulting in a record full-year performance by the Company before non-recurring charges and amortization associated with the acquisition of National Education Corporation (NEC). For the full year, Harcourt General reported that revenues rose 12.2 percent to $3.69 billion from $3.29 billion in 1996. Before NEC-related amortization of goodwill and acquired intangibles and non-recurring charges, operating earnings for the year were $375.7 million, a 9.0 percent increase from $344.7 million in 1996. After $104.1 million in NEC-related amortization of goodwill and acquired intangible assets and $277.2 million in non-recurring charges, the Company had an operating loss in 1997 of $5.7 million. The Company reported a net loss of $115.1 million, or $1.64 per share, for the full year, compared to net income of $190.9 million, or $2.62 per share in 1996. Revenues in the Harcourt Brace publishing operations increased 12.8 percent in the fourth quarter to $398.0 million, while operating earnings were up 22.3 percent to $97.0 million. For the full year, Harcourt Brace publishing revenues increased 14.5 percent to $1.25 billion, with operating earnings before non-recurring charges rising 13.3 percent to $223.1 million.

Reed Elsevier: Update on Trading and on Progress on Proposed Merger with Wolters Kluwer: Reed Elsevier today issues a brief status report on the progress of the proposed merger of Reed Elsevier with Wolters Kluwer and, in line with the practice introduced last year, an update on recent trading and some other material issues. Proposed Merger with Wolters Kluwer: "On 13 October 1997, the Boards of Reed International P.L.C., Elsevier NV and Wolters Kluwer NV announced that they had agreed in principle to propose to their respective shareholders a merger of their businesses. Progress continues to be made in developing the detailed merger proposals. The major steps implemented so far have included relevant employee consultation processes in the Netherlands, as well as the filing of necessary information with the competition authorities in various jurisdictions. "It is expected that, subject to receiving certain regulatory clearances, a circular to the shareholders of Reed, Elsevier and Wolters Kluwer, setting out details of the proposed merger will be issued on 27 March 1998 together with the respective 1997 annual reports. IPC Magazines: "On 27 October 1997, Reed Elsevier announced the possible divestment of IPC Magazines, its UK consumer magazines business. Review of the available options is continuing and if it is decided to pursue such a divestment, it is intended that any transaction would be concluded early in 1998. Update on Reed Elsevier’s Trading: "In September we completed the $447 million acquisition of the Chilton Business Group, a major US business to business publisher. Also, in October, we agreed a merger between Utell, our hotel reservation and representation business, and the US company, Anasazi Inc., which is the leading supplier of technology solutions to the hotel and hospitality market. "Reed Elsevier’s 1997 preliminary results will contain a number of exceptional items, the most significant of which will be substantial provisions in respect of the Reed Travel Group. Since the announcement, on 26 September 1997, of irregularities in circulation claims made by the Reed Travel Group, considerable progress has been made in determining the extent of the misstatements and in developing recompense plans for advertisers in the affected publications. Revised sales and marketing practices have already been introduced and circulation claims are now being rigorously controlled. "It is not possible at this stage in the process to quantify either the full financial effect of the recompense plans or the impact on the future profitability of the Reed Travel Group and the related value of its intangible assets. The exceptional charges will be in relation to the recompense plans, together with a non-cash write-down of intangible asset values. Source: Reed Elsevier

National Geographic Chief Quits: John Fahey Moves Up in Society as Reg Murphy Suddenly Moves Out
The National Geographic Society's chief executive resigned yesterday, only 18 months after taking the top job at the venerable Washington educational and publishing organization. Reg Murphy said he had been planning the move all along and dismissed any suggestions of dissension in his departure. He had been the society's No. 2 executive since 1993. During his tenure, Murphy, 63, a former newspaper publisher, aggressively cut costs and steered the nonprofit society toward profit-making ventures, such as producing dramatic TV movies and starting a chain of National Geographic stores. He also launched new foreign-language editions of the society's famed yellow-bordered magazine in one of the biggest expansion pushes in the publication's 109-year history. The strategic changes made Murphy a controversial figure within the society, a genteel, tradition-bound outfit that has long projected a semi-academic air. Murphy's successor, appointed by the society's board yesterday, is John Fahey, who joined National Geographic just 20 months ago from Time-Life, the direct-marketing arm of Time Warner . Fahey, 45, was recruited by Murphy from Time-Life in Alexandria to run National Geographic Ventures, the for-profit subsidiary Murphy started in 1995. The management changes represent a swift transition at an institution not known for moving quickly. They underscore the ascendancy of executives who've come from outside the organization and have a keener eye on the bottom line. Fahey takes over at a time when the society is in relatively strong shape. Circulation of its flagship magazine, which lost readers throughout much of the 1980s, has stabilized at about 9 million subscribers, who receive the magazine by becoming dues-paying "members" of the society. Its major growth area is its television operations. National Geographic Television produces documentaries and nature programs appearing on NBC and the TBS and Disney Channel cable networks. It has also moved into making dramatic movies for theatrical and broadcast distribution. Its first dramatic offering, "Forbidden Territory: Stanley's Search for Livingstone," was broadcast on ABC Sunday. Copyright (c) 1997 The Washington Post Received via NewsEDGE

Wolters Kluwer Reed Elsevier
The European Union Commission Friday opened a detailed four-month inquiry into the planned merger of Anglo-Dutch publisher Reed Elsevier (N.ELS, U.REE) and Dutch publisher Wolters Kluwer NV (N.WOK), an E.U. source said. Via Newsedge

New York Times Says It Plans Acquisition In 1999
The New York Times Co. said Thursday that it was ``counting on an acquisition to provide considerable future growth'' sometime in 1999. The company also predicted increases in revenues and operating profits, and its stock rose to a 52-week high. ``The next step in our external development plan is to bring an investment banker on board'' to examine potential properties, the company's president and chief executive, Russell T. Lewis, said at a New York conference of investors, sponsored by Paine Webber. But Lewis added that he did not ``anticipate any significant developments in this area until 1999.'' The Times also disclosed that it planned a new section of technology news called Circuits in February and that it would publish seven to nine special one-time sections in 1998. In addition, the company made its earnings predictions, reporting that operating profit for the newspaper group, its largest division, was expected to rise 35 percent from last year to between $430 million and $440 million. The Times also said that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization were expected to rise 30 percent, to between $590 million and $600 million. The Times Co., which had revenues of $2.6 billion in 1996, publishes The Boston Globe and 21 regional newspapers in addition to The New York Times, as well as three magazines. The company also operates television and radio stations
Copyright (c) 1997 The New York Times Co. Received via NewsEDGE from Desktop Data, Inc.

Friday, December 05, 1997

12/5/97: Dialog, Tribune, Thomson, Reuters, Reed Elsevier

Summary:
Dialog To Offer Free Services To Investors
Tribune-Review Publishing Company Acquires North Hills News Record And Valley News Dispatch
Advance Publications Inc Newspaper Purchase
United News Considers Selling Regional Papers
Thomson Financial Services' Asian Publishing Business Acquires Philip Jay Publishing
Newspapers Expecting 'Strongest Year In A Decade'
L.A. Daily News Goes To Denver Post
Reuters Reorg Big Payday For Shareholders
Simon & Schuster To Feature New Authors On Authorlink.Com
Ziff-Davis
Reed Elsevier

RECENT NEWS:

DIALOG TO OFFER FREE SERVICES TO INVESTORS
DIALOG CORPORATION, the online information company, is to offer some of its services free to armchair investors through a deal with Institutional Investor International (III), the Website operator. The venture, which was planned before MAID and Knight-Ridder Information merged to become Dialog, will give III's 100,000 Internet users free access to headlines and summaries from 4,000 news sources. The limited service, which will include share prices, will be freely available through III's Internet site, http://www.iii.co.uk. Full articles will be available for a £1 charge, with the proceeds split between the two companies. From February, the Website will offer real-time prices from London, New York and Nasdaq, fuelling a free sector which analysts say could challenge the lower end of the market held by the likes of Bloomberg and Reuters. The enlarged Website should be complete within two weeks, when it will become the first service in the world to combine information about pensions, life insurance and stock market prices. Dialog, which draws its customers almost exclusively from large institutions, hopes the move will give it access to small-time investors who may not be willing to pay the basic £6,000 annual subscription for its full service. MAID's new subscriptions tailed off while it was discussing the merger, leading to a third-quarter pre-tax loss of £592,000 (£2.42 million loss), it said yesterday. Sales were £7.37 million (£5.18 million). The loss for the quarter was 0.33p (2.62p loss) per share. NEW YORK, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- BY SUSAN EMMETT AND FRASER NELSON

TRIBUNE-REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY ACQUIRES NORTH HILLS NEWS RECORD AND VALLEY NEWS DISPATCH
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the opening of its $43 million NewsWorks production center in Marshall Township last month, the Tribune-Review Publishing Company has announced an agreement to acquire two newspaper properties from Gannett Publishing Co., Inc. The North Hills News Record and the Valley News Dispatch, both of which publish evening and Sunday newspapers, join the growing list of newspapers owned by the Tribune-Review Publishing Company. (Three former Thomson newspapers joined the Company in May of this year.) Effective immediately, the newspapers will become subsidiaries of the Company, and Larry Jock, formerly publisher of the Valley News Dispatch, will serve as general manager of both publications. The purchase includes a long-term agreement under which the regional editions of USA Today and Baseball Weekly will be printed at the Company's NewsWorks production center. The Tribune-Review Publishing Company publishes the Tribune-Review, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Standard Observer, The Daily Courier., The Valley Independent, Leader Times, and The Dispatch (Blairsville). Source: Tribune-Review Publishing Company

ADVANCE PUBLICATIONS INC NEWSPAPER PURCHASE.
Advance Publications Inc. plans to acquire 23 weekly Ohio newspapers from Sun Newspapers for an undisclosed amount, reported the Associated Press. The deal is to close in January. Advance's newspapers include the Star-Ledger in Newark, NJ. The company also publishes consumer magazines including the New Yorker and Vogue, 36 weekly business journals and owns book publisher Random House.

UNITED NEWS CONSIDERS SELLING REGIONAL PAPERS ----
LONDON -- United News & Media PLC may sell its U.K. regional newspapers, fetching an estimated (STG)400 million ($674 million) or more. United News confirmed that prospective buyers have approached it, but said it may also retain the newspapers, which include the Yorkshire Post. "The board confirms that it has received a number of approaches from third parties indicating their interests in acquiring these businesses," United News said. "The board is considering a range of alternatives, including the further development of its regional newspaper businesses." WJEviaNewsEDGE Copyright (c) 1997 Dow Jones and Company, Inc.

THOMSON FINANCIAL SERVICES' ASIAN PUBLISHING BUSINESS ACQUIRES PHILIP JAY PUBLISHING BUSINESS
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 3, 1997-- Thomson Financial Services today announced the acquisition of Philip Jay Publishing, which will be folded into its Asian Publishing business. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. "The acquisition of Philip Jay Publishing is part of our strategy to become Asia's leading financial publisher," said Adam Bryan. "Philip's titles can capitalize on the marketing opportunities presented by our regional and international titles. It also provides us with expertise to create a new range of print-based products to serve our growing customer base in Asia's financial sector. Philip has been very successful in developing a strong client list among the local finance houses, thus providing a good complement to our current customer base in the international financial sector." Reporting into Adam Bryan, newly appointed managing director of Thomson's Asian Publishing business based in Hong Kong, the Philip Jay acquisition provides strong growth opportunities and expanded market reach for the Asian publishing group. Run by local Hong Kong entrepreneur, Philip Jay, the company has been successfully publishing directories on the Asian financial sector for more than seven years. Its core products include The Asia Pacific Securities Handbook, The Greater China Banking Directory, The China Securities Handbook and The Asia Pacific Fixed Income and Debt Securities Directory. Thomson's Asian Publishing operations include such prestigious titles as IFR and IFR Asia, Finance Asia and Thomson Bankwatch. Its offices are located in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

NEWSPAPERS EXPECTING 'STRONGEST YEAR IN A DECADE'
Total newspaper ad revenues rose 8.9%, to $29.31 billion, for the first three quarters of 1997 compared to the same period last year, according to an announcement made Tuesday by the Newspaper Association of America. By sector, national ad spending was said to be up for the nine months by 13.48%, to $3.956 billion; retail was up 6.25%, to $13.673 billion; while classified was up 10.72%, to $11.681 billion. "Third quarter growth (7.84%) was slower, as expected, due to the stronger growth in the second half of last year," acknowledged Miles Grove, the NAA's chief economist. "However, when coupled with a longer Christmas season for '97 we can expect the strongest year in a decade," he added. Last year 21.88% of all advertising dollars were spent on newspapers, compared to television's 20.7% share of the market. Mediacentral – Cowles Business Media

L.A. DAILY NEWS GOES TO DENVER POST
The Los Angeles Daily News has been acquired by MediaNews Group, the parent company of the Denver Post. The purchase price was not disclosed. The newspaper had been put up for sale in October by the family of its former owner, the late Jack Kent Cooke, who died in April. The acquisition makes MediaNews the eighth-largest newspaper publisher with 35 dailies and 106 nondailies. The Daily News, which has a circulation of 203,000 weekdays and 218,000 on Sundays, is MediaNews' 12th Californian daily. Observers expected the sale to fetch as much as $200 million to $250 million. At the time the prospective sale was announced, potential buyers were thought to be MediaNews, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., Orange County Register-parent Freedom Communications and Toronto-based publisher Thomson Corp.

REUTERS REORG BIG PAYDAY FOR SHAREHOLDERS
Reuters announced on Thursday its plans to reorganize the company and return US$2.52 billion in surplus capital to shareholders. In addition the company said it would return up to another $336.2 million in an ongoing stock buyback plan through 1998. The reorg will result in the creation of a new holding company, Reuters Group PLC, which will acquire the existing Reuters Holdings PLC. Separately, in an interview with a Reuters reporter, company CEO Peter Job dismissed industry speculation that he might make an offer for the ailing Dow Jones Markets information services group. "First of all, there is probably a considerable anti-trust problem that would arise ... Secondly ... there is a great overlap in the two businesses," he reportedly said. The shareholder windfall was said to reflect the company's continued success.

ONLINE PUBLISHING NEWS:

FOR ALL YOU BUDDING AUTHORS…..SIMON & SCHUSTER TO FEATURE NEW AUTHORS ON AUTHORLINK.COM
NEW YORK, Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Simon & Schuster Online has become a key sponsor of Authorlink! (http://www.authorlink.com), the online information service for writers, editors and literary agents. One of the first major book publishers to partner with an online writers' service, Simon & Schuster will create a special section on the Authorlink's site to showcase new book releases, especially those by first-time authors. Authorlink! kicked off the program's first phase in November, with a live link to Simon & Schuster's Consumer Publishing website (http://www.SimonSays.com). Authorlink! is also featuring the newly released, revised edition of JOY OF COOKING through the holidays, to be followed by the special new author section. The 18-month-old Authorlink! has a loyal annual readership of more than 60,000 writers, editors and agents. In addition to featuring major publishing industry news, the site showcases and markets ready-to-publish manuscripts to the publishing industry. The service is currently sponsoring its first International New Author Awards Competition, in which nine New York editors and agents are finalist judges. Simon & Schuster Online, was formed in January 1996, to create a strategy for Simon & Schuster's consumer books and authors on the web. Simon & Schuster Online launched SimonSays.com, (http://www.SimonSays.com), in June 1996. The site, which provides an unparalleled level of reader interaction, is home to Simon & Schuster's Consumer 11,000+ titles and has successfully launched fan areas for many authors and brands including Star Trek Books, Mary Higgins Clark, Clive Cussler, Frank McCourt and most recently Joy of Cooking. SOURCE Simon & Schuster

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS:

Ziff-Davis today announced the promotion of Michael J. Miller to Executive Vice President and Editorial Director of ZD Publishing. Miller, who has been named one of the top computer journalists by Marketing Computers for three years in a row, will also retain his position as the Editor-in-Chief of PC Magazine. At the same time, Ziff-Davis announced the promotion of Kathleen Goodwin to Vice President of Marketing for ZD Publishing, and the expansion of the responsibilities of Tom McGrade, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, to include ZD Publishing's circulation and production departments. Michael Miller Claude Sheer, the President of ZD Publishing, said, "Michael is not only a leader among his peers within Ziff-Davis, he is also a well-respected journalist and industry advocate. PC Magazine has grown to a paid circulation of more than 1,175,000, more than any other computer publication or business magazine. SOURCE Ziff Davis

REED ELSEVIER
Reed Elsevier Inc. named Hans Gieskes president and chief executive of Lexis-Nexis. Reed Elsevier is jointly-owned by Reed International PLC (RUK) and Elsevier NV (ENL). In a press release Monday, Reed said Gieskes has been with the parent company for 19 years, most recently serving as vice chairman of the legal division. Gieskes will continues to lead Lexis Nexis' operations in Europe. DOW JONES NEWS