Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, November 9, 1995                   TAG: 9511090038
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

IN BUSINESS

WASHINGTON - Long-distance telephone company MCI entered the $12 billion music retailing business Wednesday with an 800 number that lets people sample and buy recordings.

Callers can choose among 5,000 CDs and cassettes. To help them decide, they can listen to about 20,000 15- to 20-second music clips. Selections fall into 14 formats, such as rock, country, pop, gospel and children's music.

MCI said its prices will be in line with those of music stores. Current CDs, for example, will sell for between $11.99 and $16.99; older ones, for $7.99.

Purchases are made by credit card. The number is (800)music-now.

- Associated Press

Northwest sued on shareholder limit

EAGAN, Minn. - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on Wednesday sued executives of its partner, Northwest Airlines, in an effort to block a Northwest proposal to limit the Dutch carrier's stake.

KLM says the changes to Northwest's bylaws are ``designed specifically to eliminate rights that KLM bargained for and to which the defendants agreed.''

Several Northwest executives, including co-chairmen Alfred Checchi, are named in the suit. The airline itself is not named.

Northwest's proposed changes would cap ownership of any shareholder at 15 percent to 20 percent. The plan could force KLM to sell some of its 21.5 percent voting stake in the airline. The changes are up for a vote at Northwest's board meeting next Thursday.

- Associated Press

VDOT to privatize parts warehouse

The Virginia Department of Transportation has contracted with NAPA, a commercial auto parts dealer, to provide parts and supplies as part of a two-year trial to privatize the highway agency's warehouse operations.

NAPA will set up "stores" at VDOT offices to supply the department's equipment repair shop and fleet in Richmond, its district office in Colonial Heights and seven field offices between Ashland and South Hill. NAPA also will provide other items not related to vehicles, such as shovels, screwdrivers, hard hats and paper towels.

VDOT Commissioner David Gehr said Virginia's is the first state transportation agency in the country to try the privatization concept, as far as he could determine. If the trial is successful, it could be expanded to the department's entire fleet of more than 12,000 motor vehicles, including dump trucks, motor graders and passenger cars.

- Staff report

Suit says Pizza Hut stole stuffed crust

NEW YORK - A pizza-making family is suing Pizza Hut for $1 billion for allegedly stealing its patented idea for stuffed-crust pizza, a lawyer said Wednesday.

The Mongiello family filed suit in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday charging patent infringement. The stuffed-crust pizza has been a big success at Pizza Hut since its introduction last spring.

The suit was filed by Angelo Mongiello's Children LLC, a company that holds the family's 1987 patent, according to a statement by its lawyer, Paul Sutton.

Sutton said the Mongiellos offered Pizza Hut a license to produce stuffed-crust pizzas, which feature cheese and other foods within the crust, in 1988 and 1991 but Pizza Hut ``displayed no interest.''

- Associated Press

Earnings

Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp., Nashville, Tenn., parent of Lewis-Gale Hospital and Lewis-Gale Psychiatric Center in Salem and Pulaski Community and Montgomery Regional hospitals in the New River Valley, reported third-quarter net earnings of $267 million, or 59 cents per share, on revenues of $4.37 billion, compared with year-earlier $190 million, or 49 cents, on revenues of $3.67 billion. For nine months, earnings were $607 million, or $1.35 per share, on revenues of $13.1 billion, compared with $528 million, or $1.25, on revenues of $10.6 billion.

Speedway Motorsports Inc., Concord, N.C., operator of motor speedways in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; and Roanoke, Texas; reported a third-quarter operating loss of $3.1 million, equal to 3 cents per share, on revenues of $4.1 million, compared with a year-earlier loss of $2.6 million, equal to 16 cents per share, on revenues of $3 million. For nine months, income was $12.4 million, or 49 cents per share, on revenues of $43.1 million, compared with $2.7 million, or 18 cents per share, on revenues of $36.7 million.