SAUDI ARABIA HIRES B-M AFTER ATTACKS

Saudi Arabia hired Burson-Marsteller for PR and to place ads three days following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

The firm also provides "issues counseling and crisis management" services, according to the Sept. 14 agreement signed by His Royal Highness Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Craig Veith, chairman of B-M's media practice in Washington, D.C.

Veith said B-M has placed ads for the Saudis in The New York Times expressing support for the U.S. in its time of crisis.

B-M's open-ended contract continues until either party gives ninety-day notice of its wish to terminate.

The Saudis must approve of B-M's work in advance. They also must give approval for budgets in excess of $5,000.

Saudi Arabia, home of at least 5,000 U.S. troops and a growing Islamic fundamentalist movement, walks a fine line in President Bush's war on terror.

The New York Times ran a story on Oct. 11 critical of Saudi Arabia for its failure to cooperate with the U.S. in the investigation of the hijacking suspects responsible for the terror attacks. At least six of them obtained U.S. visas in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia, despite U.S. requests, also has not frozen the assets of groups linked to Osama bin Laden.

C&W ADVISES GREECE ON ATHENS GAMES

Clark & Weinstock has a $35,000 a-month contract to provide public policy analysis to the Greek Embassy in Washington, D.C.

Former Congressman Vin Weber and Vic Fazio spearhead that drive at the Omnicom unit.
They will approach Members of Congress and Administration officials on matters such as Athens' ability to host the 2004 Olympics.

The Athens 2004 press office issued a statement on Oct. 7, saying the city is capable of organizing "unique Games" and plans to "offer a great service to the Olympic Movement in these hours of ordeal for the entire planet."

Security worries for the athletes has been a major concern. That concern has been heightened by the Sept. 11 attacks in the U.S. and subsequent U.S./U.K. bombing of Afghanistan.

A majority of Greeks, according to a poll, oppose the U.S. response to the terror.

C&W's six-month contract began on Sept. 1.

DUPONT GIVES KETCHUM $$ PR ACCT.

DuPont has named Ketchum agency of record for its apparel and textile sciences group, a multi-million dollar PR account.

Rowland, Edelman PR Worldwide and a number of "boutique" firms had serviced the business.
Ketchum will promote DuPont core brands, such as Lycra, CoolMax and Cordura to mills, brand houses and retailers.

Carol Gee, global brand manager for DuPont ATS, cited Ketchum's "successful track record of providing strategic counsel and creative development" in announcing the selection of the New York-based firm.

Barri Rafferty, director of global brand marketing, and Annabelle Freeman, VP at Ketchum, will handle the DuPont business.

HEADLINE GRP. GETS $2B ATLANTIC STATION

The Headline Group has picked up Atlantic Station, the $2 billion redevelopment project that will open in mid-town Atlanta by 2003. Ketchum, 360, Sawyer Riley Compton and Manning, Selvage and Lee also pitched.

The residential, commercial and entertainment complex sits on the former Atlantic Steel plant. It is the largest brownfield industrial clean-up project in the Southeast.

James Jacoby, president of AS, said THG was selected after a "very thorough search" and called PR "an integral part of our marketing program."
He expects AS to be a model for "live, work and play" projects throughout the U.S.

Claudia Gaines Patton, CEO of THG, said that since her office overlooks the construction site, she was determined to win the account.

Applied Communications has tapped Stanford University's chief administrative officer for the School of Humanities and Sciences, Edwin Callahan, as the firm's first COO. Allan Kelly, CEO, noted the firm's willingness to experiment and recruit "talented people outside the confines of the PR industry" for its COO choice...Edelman PR Worldwide dropped 45 employees and closed its Boston and Austin offices. Edelman Boston SVP Ephraim Cohen is shifting to New York, while Austin head Deborah Wood-Pope will move to the Dallas office...Manning,Selvage & Lee chopped 28 staffers from its payroll in New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit.

O'REILLY ATTACKS CF'S LUTNICK

Bill O'Reilly, host of Fox TV's "The O'Reilly Factor," attacked Cantor Fitzgerald's chairman Howard Lutnick during two programs last week, along with other organizations which have promised to help families affected by the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon and the Pennsylvania air crash.

O'Reilly said that Lutnick does not need a new PR firm, as reported by columnist Cindy Adams. All he needs to do is to come on this show to explain why he has not given any financial assistance to families of employees who were killed in the attack on the WTC, said O'Reilly.

Adams had reported (Oct. 9) that Lutnick was looking for a new firm to replace Edelman PR Worldwide.

CF Picks Up Health Tabs

Lutnick, on Oct. 10, said that CF will contribute 25 percent of its profits, that would otherwise be distributed to CF partners, to the families of employees lost in the WTC attacks.

He said the first use of those funds is to pay for ten years of healthcare for the families of victims, which he estimates will cost $70 million.

He also announced a plan to expedite the distribution of year-end bonus and commission payments to the families. CF said those payments would be made no later than Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22).

CF, which lost 700 of its 1,000 employees, has received donations totaling $2 million, according to O'Reilly. Lynda Fiori, the wife of a deceased employee of CF, said on O'Reilly's show that she recently got a check for $5,000 from Cantor Fitzgerald in addition to checks from the American Red Cross and a Buddhist group.

Fiori, a mother of two young children, said on an earlier program that she had not heard or gotten any financial assistance from the firm. O'Reilly has taken credit for the response.

CS&A PITCHES BIN LADEN EXPERT

Craig Shirley & Assocs. is the firm behind the many media appearances for Yossef Bodansky, author of "Bin Laden: The Man Who Declared War on America."

Following the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Diana Banister, VP at CS&A, pitched Bodansky's availability as a resource on bin Laden.

CS&A lined up spots for the author on "Good Morning America," "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "The O'Reilly Factor," "48 Hours," "Dateline NBC," and CNN.

The Alexandria-based firm did so as a public service, according to Craig Shirley. The firm handled the publication of the book in 1999, but was no longer working for Prima Publishing.

CS&A promoted Bodansky on a pro bono basis because Shirley felt it was important that Americans know about the suspected mastermind behind the terrorist attacks.

The book received five stars from the last three reviewers on Amazon.com, though one reviewer noted that "hindsight is 20/20."

Bodansky's book was released as a paperback on Sept. 21.

PRIMEDIA SHOPS BACON'S

Primedia, which publishes New York, Folio, Modern Bride and Seventeen magazines, is said to be shopping Bacon's Information unit in an effort to raise cash to pay down its debt.

Spokesperson Whit Clay, of Sloane & Co., would not comment about whether Primedia was interested in selling the venerable press monitoring and media directory publisher.

Bacon's CEO Stephen Newman told this NL that there have been a number of Primedia properties that have been rumored to be headed for the auction block since the company announced plans in July to sell $250 million in non-core assets.

Bacon's has had a "challenging year," according to Newman. He said the press monitoring business has been "difficult" in the aftermath of the dot-com wipeout. Orders for the directories have been strong, he added.

Newman expects sales to dip five-to-six percent this year. Profits will also be down in that range.
Newman noted that business pretty much came to a standstill following the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

Bacon's Clipping Bureau was founded in 1932. Bacon's introduced its newspaper/magazine directory in 1952, and its radio/TV/cable book in 1986.

Primedia had $1.7 billion in annual revenues last year. It lost $225 million on $872 million in the first-half of this year.

The company's stock trades at $1.90, way off from its $16.50 52-week high.

WORLD BANK PROTESTERS ARE 'MISGUIDED'

Many in the anti-globalization crowd that have made The World Bank a key target of their protests are misguided about the role the bank plays in economic development, according to a panel discussion Oct. 10 at the National Press Club sponsored by the Washington, D.C., chapter of PRSA.

In addressing the issue of recent protests, Caroline Anstey, chief of media relations for the Bank, reminded those in attendance that the Bank is run by 183 member countries.

"We are just civil servants owned by member countries. Protesters would probably be better off addressing the leadership of their own countries," explained Anstey.

Alec Dubro, media director for Foreign Policy in Focus, agreed with Anstey saying, "Criticizing the Bank is akin to blaming AAA for car accidents."

Dubro does feel though that the Seattle riots and other protests served to bring attention to the Bank it had never had before.

PR PRO USES TECHNOLOGY TO FIX 'ERRORS'

Delphi Automotive's communications director Steve Gaut is putting wireless technology to use to help catch and fix "errors" during the news cycle, according to CommCore Consulting Group, Washington, D.C.

For the past few years, wireless companies and Wall St. have combined to tout the ability to instantly inform investors about stock price changes. This allows the mobile investor to monitor the markets when not sitting in front of a PC.

By applying the same concept to stay on top of breaking news stories, Gaut has been able to change the way a story is printed from a first wire service draft to the way it finally appears in a newspaper.

Here's how it works. Delphi subscribes to two web-based news gathering services, Dow Jones Interactive and News Edge. Gaut requests each service to inform him via e-mail each time a story mentions Delphi in the headline or text.

Instead of sending the summaries to the desktop PC e-mail account, the information-up to 200 words-is sent to an e-mail capable pager. The pager has an interface with Gaut's PDA.

"The Internet has given media relations professionals new capabilities. In the old days-two or three years ago-when a story was filed by a wire service reporter, normally you didn't see the copy until it was picked up by the newspapers," according to Gaut.

When Gaut gets first notice of a wire service piece there's still time-if necessary-to get on top of the news report. "If there is an issue with the story, I can call the reporter and discuss it, provide additional facts and talk through nuances."

Gaut's experience is that AP and Reuters reporters normally complete a second or third version of a story, adding details, late information, "and sometimes my comments and corrections."

The final take is the version that usually gets picked up by the news editor at a newspaper and by websites that update at fixed versus real time intervals.

NEW YORK TARGETS SUBURBAN READERS

New York magazine is broadening its coverage to target readers in the suburbs, according to Caroline Miller, who is editor of the weekly magazine.

Miller said 30% of its readers now live outside of Manhattan. "Suddenly New York looks bigger," she told the fall luncheon of the Healthcare PR and Marketing Society of Greater New York that was held at the Hudson Hotel Oct. 2.

Miller said readers are particularly interested in preventative and homeopathic medicine. So she is open to story pitches from PR people who represent these type of services, or information on hospitals with these types of programs for use in upcoming articles. Miller's direct number is 212/508-0590.

PLACEMENT TIPS

Mark Pasetsky, president of Mark Allen & Co., said PR pros have to be careful about publicizing themselves if they work for someone who loves the media spotlight and wants them out of it.

Pasetsky, whose New York-based PR firm focuses exclusively on executive publicity, advises PR pros who find themselves in this situation to "select a completely new topic for yourself."

"Think of a topic that will help advance your career as well as one that you find interesting," Pasetsky said in the first of a series of reports entitled: "Secrets to Getting Press Without Pissing off Your Boss."

The Leesburg (Va.) Today, a weekly newspaper, has published the first issue of Loudoun Magazine.
The target audience includes members of the county chamber of commerce.

Magazine employees work in a downtown Leesburg office building owned by Amendment 1, the publisher. Gail Waldron is editor, at 703/771-2076.

Paladin International, an Alexandria, Va.-based marketing/PR firm, aired its first "Technology Insider" radio show on Oct. 7 at 10 a.m. (ET).
The show will air over the Internet (www.technologyinsider.net) and TalkOne Network, a new talk network.

The live, call-in program will discuss current and emerging technologies with guests who are technology experts.

"Business of the Arts," a new radio show produced by managing editor Beatrice Black for WHYY in Philadelphia, is a new outlet for business stories that don't often get told.

It can be heard on more than 290 public radio stations, is featured on "Marketplace," and on "Marketplace Morning Report" on many stations.

The show covers stories that can be found in the studios, workshops, museums and stages of artists and performers.

A recent story on "The Nutcracker," for example, focused on the almost mandatory need for a performance of the ballet as a cash cow that many dance companies simply can't afford to forego.

Black searches out and considers stories from all sources and locations. She can be contacted at 215/351-0539 or at [email protected].

William Holstein, a former reporter and foreign correspondent for UPI, Business Week, U.S. News & World Report and Business 2.0, is reviewing new business books for The New York Times.

His reviews will appear in a column, called "Book Value" that will run monthly in the Sunday business section of the Times. He can be reached at [email protected].

(Media news continued on next page)

MEDIA IS TARGETED BY ANTHRAX

Reports of several new cases of anthrax exposures has caused several news organizations, including The Associated Press, CBS, and ABC, to temporarily shut down their mail rooms.

The anthrax scare began Oct. 4 when it was confirmed that Bob Stevens, a photo editor who worked for the tabloid newspaper the Sun in Boca Raton, Fla., had contracted the fatal bacteria and died.

Since then, seven other employees of American Media have tested positive for exposure and are being treated with antibiotics. The bacteria ia believed to have been sent in a letter to AM's offices.

American Media publishes the Sun, National Enquirer, Star, Globe, Examiner and Weekly World News.

In New York, Erin O'Connor, 38, an assistant to NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw, was diagnosed with a form of anthrax. O'Connor opened an envelope containing a brown granular substance on Sept. 18 or 25. The letter, which was postmarked Sept. 18, was mailed to Brokaw from Trenton, N.J.

The New York Times was locked down for a short time on Oct. 12 after Judith Miller, a reporter there, got a letter containing an unidentified powder, which was tested and found to be non-threatening.

MEDIA BRIEFS

The Silicon Alley Reporter, a magazine started in 1996 to cover New York's new media entrepreneurs, has published its last issue. It is a victim of the technology advertising decline.

Jason Calacanis, 30, who owned it, plans to start a magazine about venture capital investment called Venture Reporter beginning in December.

Expedia Travels magazine was closed by Ziff Davis Media, which started the magazine a year ago as an online version of the Expedia.com travel website. The closing was attributed to economic problems, made worse by the Sept. 11 attacks.

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, which has been held by the retailer for the past six years as a media event, will be an ABC-TV primetime special.

The nationally broadcast one-hour special will take place on Nov. 13 in New York's Bryant Park.

The show, which will revolve around a holiday theme, will feature top models, and will include musical performances, comedy sketches, interviews, model profiles and behind-the-scenes segments.

Joel Gallen of Tenth Planet Productions is the producer.

Rush Limbaugh, syndicated radio talk show host, is going deaf.

Limbaugh told his national radio audience that he has experienced severe hearing loss. "I cannot communicate with people," he said. "I can occasionally talk to people in person, one-on-one, but I cannot hear radio, TV or music."

Limbaugh, who is undergoing treatment, said he has no desire to retire.

Indian Gaming Business, a monthly magazine, was named the official publication of the National Indian Gaming Assn., a non-profit organization of 168 Indian Nations, whose tribes are engaged in gaming enterprises.

NIGA will advise on editorial calendars and content with the magazine and write an every-issue column on topics, issues and regulations that are paramount to NIGA.

The magazine is published by GEM Communications, which is based in Las Vegas.

Windows Developer's Journal will become Windows Developer's Magazine, starting with the November issue. WDM is located in Lawrence, Kans.

John Dorsey, who was previously senior editor at Dr. Dobb's Journal, was named executive editor of WDM. Both magazines are published by CMP Media.

MSNBC will begin delivering general news and Washington, D.C., news on Oct. 29 during cut-ins on the financial news cable channel CNBC.

CNBC has added a ticker at the bottom of the screen for reporting general news updates.

As part of its commitment to Washington coverage, CNBC produced a four-part special last week called "CNBC's Capital Report with Ron Insana." During each half-hour show, Insana interviewed members of Congress and other political leaders about the effects of the nation's war against violent Islamic fundamentalists.

PEOPLE

Frederick Robinson, 37, was named editor of Atlanta (Ga.) Tribune: The Magazine.

Robert Dodge, national economics correspondent for The Dallas Morning News, was elected president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Assn. Other new officers elected are: Marshall McPeek, a meteorologist, Cleveland-VP for broadcast; Karen Balis, Newsday, Huntington, N.Y.-treasurer, and Marcus Mabry, Newsweek, New York-nat'l secretary.

Lisa Frankenburg, 33, an owner of The Prague Post, an English-language newspaper in the Czech Republic, and Jerome Leshne, 43, were married Sept. 8 in New York. Frankenburg is a former executive at Wall Street Journal Online, and Leshne, until July, was VP-investor relations for Dow Jones.

Sol Biderman, Time magazine's Brazil correspondent, has written a play, "When Elvis Met Che in Denver," which is scheduled to open in New York next year.

IABC EXPECTS LOSS FOR FISCAL 2001

The International Assn. of Business Communicators, despite efforts to boost income and cut costs, is projecting a loss for the year ending Sept. 30.

IABC's loss for 2000 was $1 million and the loss for 1999 was $400,000. It has stopped publishing its annual directory of members although listings of members are available to members only on the IABC website.

Julie Freeman, IABC president, said IABC continues to face "a challenging situation in managing cash flow." Membership remains at about 13,000 but "at this time of the year we have limited revenue from non-dues income" and still have "bills to pay," she said in a letter to members.

The budget for 2002 is based on 80% renewal rate and 3,200 new members.

More revenue is expected from small conferences and seminars at the local level. Marketing will concentrate on the local level because of the "anticipated reluctance of people to travel," she said.

Administrative costs are being cut by $200,000 via eliminating contract and temporary employees and restructuring employee benefits.

Communication World, IABC's magazine, is now published every other month. The Gold Quill awards program is being "reshaped" and five new knowledge manuals are being produced.

CMP CLOSES TELE.COM

CMP, Manhasset, N.Y., a unit of United Business Media, has closed the magazine Tele.com and its related website. Tele.com came out twice a month in most months (publishing 22 issues a year).

The high-tech magazine concentrated on "strategic context for service providers." The Oct. 15 issue is its last. It had a circulation of 79,000 and was acquired about two years ago from McGraw-Hill, which founded it in 1996.

Tele.com won numerous awards and had executive-level readership but there wasn't enough anticipated growth in ad revenues to support its continued publication, said UBM.

Reports about the closing of the magazine and website were posted on the UBM bulletin board hosted by Yahoo! The board has a steady stream of rumors and opinions about CMP and UBM.

CMP in September confirmed it had closed HDI (high-density interconnect) magazine and was suspending HDI Expo set for Sept. 24-27 in Phoenix.

Three security analyst firms gave negative reports on UBM earlier this month, citing a decline in show attendance in the wake of Sept. 11 and a continued decline in advertising.

Morgan Stanley said UBM is hurt by "a lack of visibility." The firm has no general PR or IR representation in the U.S., where about 75% of its business is now located.

Kekst and Co., New York, works for UBM but only in relation to its proposed purchase of Medialink, which Medialink continues to resist.

REP. McKINNEY RAPS GIULIANI

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, (D-Ga.) criticized New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for turning down a $10 million gift to victims of the World Trade Center tragedy because the giver, a billionaire Saudi businessman, linked the gift to criticism of Israel.

Giuliani rejected the $10M check that was given to him by Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Oct. 11 because Alwaleed, in a press release issued later the same day, called on the U.S. to "re-examine its policy in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause."

Alwaleed further said, "Our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of Israelis while the world turns the other cheek." The prince condemned terrorism but added: "At the same time we are with the Palestinians and their cause. We will not accept labeling Palestinians as terrorists."

Giuliani Rips Alwaleed

Giuliana at first accepted the check but reversed himself upon learning of the Alwaleed statement.

He said the prince was effectively blaming the U.S. for provoking the attack. "Not only are those statements wrong, they are part of the problem," said Giuliani. He called the prince's statements "highly irresponsible" and "dangerous."

Alwaleed is the world's sixth wealthiest person according to Forbes, with a fortune of $20.3 billion.

His investments in the U.S. total $12B and include half of the Plaza Hotel and portions of AOL Time Warner, Citigroup, News Corp. and Saks Fifth Ave.

In later statements, Alwaleed refused to back down on his position, saying, "My stand goes in line with the stand of my country and government, as well as the stand of every Arab and Muslim."

He also added: "I understand that freedom of speech is something paramount in America." He said, "We must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack."

He told CNN Oct. 11 that the U.S. should reconsider its "blind" support of Israel.

McKinney Apologizes to Alwaleed

Rep. McKinney, in a letter published Oct. 15 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, apologized to Alwaleed for Giuliani's refusal of the $10M gift.

She said the mayor should recognize the prince's "right to speak and make observations about a part of the world that he knows so well."

Said McKinney: "Many have long been concerned about reports by Amnesty International that reveal a pattern of excessive and often lethal force by Israeli forces in situations where Palestinian demonstrators were unarmed and posed no threat of death or serious injury to the forces or to others."

McKinney quoted Senator Robert Kennedy as saying in 1968: "America is a great nation and a strong people. Any who seek to comfort rather than to speak plainly, reassure rather than instruct, promise satisfaction rather than reveal frustration-they deny that greatness and drain that strength."

Why is the Bush White House so afraid of Al Jazeera, the satellite TV service that carries the diatribes of Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants in the Al Qaeda terror network? Secretary of State Colin Powell has urged the Gov't of Qatar to "tone down" Al Jazeera. White House National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice begged U.S. TV networks not to run full unedited videotapes of bin Laden and his gang. She frets there may be "encoded" messages in the speeches intended for "sleepers" in this country to awaken and stage acts of carnage. Rice also worries the talks will incite people to attack Americans and U.S. targets. The networks shamefully caved to the White House wishes. The Internet provides an easy way for terrorists to communicate with each other. The murderers who attacked America kept in touch with each other using computers in public libraries. Bin Laden could simply post his speeches on the `Net and be guaranteed a global audience.

There should be more Al Jazeeras in the Arab TV world, one that is dominated by tightly controlled TV networks that bore people to death with the comings and goings of various corrupt government officials. Those channels are also effective tools at crushing dissent. Bush should use the clout of Al Jazeera--which has 35 million viewers in the Arab world, including 150,000 people who receive it by cable or dish in the U.S.--to debate the terrorists.

The New York Times, on Oct. 12, reported that "western values" prevail at the all-news network. Chief Editor Ibrahim Helal told the Times: "We learned free speech in America. How can you ask us to hinder it? If we interfere between information and our audience, it is the start of our end." Al Jazeera also has featured Powell and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak on its programs.

Bin Laden, the PR master. The Bush team is dead wrong in peddling the spin that bin Laden is not target No. 1 in its "War on Terror." The cult status that bin Laden enjoys among millions of Muslims will grow if he continues to stand up to and fight the "American Crusaders." Take a look at Saddam Hussein's popularity rankings among Arab masses.

The barbaric attacks on Sept. 11-from a PR standpoint-were masterworks painted by bin Laden. They required meticulous planning and precise execution to achieve the goal of hitting the symbols of American financial and military might.

The images of the magnificent World Trade Center Towers collapsing into a fiery heaps rank as the all-time "special event" in the annals of terrorism.

The runner-up is the collapse of a wall of the Pentagon.

And talk about media relations! Bin Laden responded to the attacks on Afghanistan an hour after the bombings started.

Nearly half of PR people believe the PR business has become less relevant in the aftermath of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, according to a poll conducted by "O'Dwyer's PR Daily," this NL's website. That's a shocking statistic from a group of people which has been indoctrinated about the importance of PR. Forty-seven percent of the 323 people who responded to the poll believe PR is less relevant. We have attended numerous meetings over the years dealing with topics such as PR pros deserving seats at the "management table," and how PR is invaluable during a crisis. The Council of PR Firms' chief Jack Bergen and PRSA's Kathy Lewton have valiantly tried to rally the troops. Bergen will tell anyone that PR pros are needed now more than ever before. Lewton has stuck with plans to hold her group's annual conference this month partly to show that communicators are needed during times like this.

PRSA's Atlanta Conference (Oct. 27-30) will have an important impact on the Society's profitability according to Lewton. PRSA reported that revenues in the first half rose 9.4% to $4,541,069, reflecting a higher dues rate. The Society had $1,111,115 in cash and investments as of June 30, off $163,542 from the $1,274,697 it had on Dec. 31, 2000. It reduced its accounts payable from $1,034,507 on Dec. 31 to $338,197, a difference of $696,310.

Accounts receivable, meanwhile, were reduced from $560,725 on Dec. 31 to $207,348 as PRSA either collected money due to it or wrote off the receivables. Current assets fell from $1,964,257 as of Dec. 31 to $1,358,605.

Lewton said working capital "remains strong" at $28,793. It was $116,634 in January. The financial report included an extraordinary charge of $28,752 to recognize unreimbursed expense advances to the Kids in a Drug Free Society Foundation.

The Society is $150,000 ahead of projections despite a malaise in advertising and seminar registrations, said Lewton.

Sept. 11 hurt U.K.'s Incepta. Executive chairman David Wright said the attacks on the U.S. cost his firm 2.5 million pounds in lost business. He cannot rule out more job cuts by the end of the year. The consequences of the terror on America "will have a direct impact and add to our cautiousness" regarding the outlook for the rest of the year, said Wright, in releasing Incepta's first-half financials last week. On a brighter note, Wright said the gloomy outlook is "partly offset by the benefits gained from the early action we took on our cost base." That includes axing 160 workers. Citigate Cunningham, Citigate Dewe Rogerson and Citigate Sard Verbinnen are Incepta's U.S. units.
--Kevin McCauley