ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times

DATE: Wednesday, December 20, 1995           TAG: 9512200038
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: C-8  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: COLUMBUS, OHIO
SOURCE: PAUL SOUHRADA Associated Press Writer 

FEUD DRAWS TO A CLOSE

A CARTOONIST has won a battle with AT&T to keep his number, 1-800-CARTOON.

Paul Palnik says he got the last laugh in his feud with AT&T.

The cartoonist and book illustrator had been battling the phone company since it disconnected his 1-800-CARTOON number in September.

But Palnik said he signed a settlement with the company last week and the number will be running again soon.

``I tell you, it's satisfying to take down this giant,'' he said. ``I like playing this David role. It's satisfying when it works.''

AT&T confirmed the settlement but declined to comment.

Palnik, who lives in suburban Bexley, sells his artwork at street fairs and community festivals around the country and through a mail-order catalog that had used the toll-free number since 1986.

His trouble began in 1992 when the Cartoon Network started on cable television. People began to assume 1-800-CARTOON reached the network.

About a year ago, the Cartoon Network - which has more than 50 million subscribers worldwide but no toll-free number - offered to buy Palnik's number.

He refused, saying the network did not offer enough to make up for the business he would lose by changing his number.

AT&T at first credited his account for the callers that reached him in error. But it then accused Palnik of holding onto the number but not using it. It asked for repayment of the credited money and later took the number away.

Palnik, sued and enlisted the aid of the Federal Communications Commission, U.S. Rep. John Kasich and Sens. John Glenn and Mike DeWine.

Neither Palnik nor AT&T would disclose terms of the settlement, including whether the company reimbursed the cartoonist for lost sales during the usually busy holiday season.

``Whatever differences there had been have been resolved,'' AT&T spokesman Michael Lordi said Monday from company offices in Basking Ridge, N.J.

Palnik did say that AT&T agreed to attach a recorded message to his line to notify callers that they were calling him and not the Cartoon Network or anyone else.

Palnik said he has received offers from other companies as well but still is not interested in selling the number. Instead, he's preparing for the new 888 toll-free numbers and plans to register 1-888-CARTOON.

LENGTH: Medium:   56 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  AP. Cartoonist Paul Palnik is shown in his Bexley, Ohio,
          home in September when AT&T disconnected his toll-free number. Many 
          people mistakenly assumed
          the number reached the Cartoon Network. color.
          |Associated Press|