ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, April 4, 1997 TAG: 9704040028
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
Disney to launch on-line news service
NEW YORK - Walt Disney Co. said Thursday it had taken control of Starwave Corp. and will team the Web site operator founded by Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen with ABC News to launch an on-line news service.
ABCNEWS.com would become an immediate rival to MSNBC, a joint on-line venture of NBC and Microsoft.
Disney said it had bought a ``significant'' stake in Starwave and would run its daily operations. Financial terms were not disclosed.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
Briefly ...
Premier Bankshares Corp. stockholders will hold a special meeting May 15 to vote on the proposed merger with First Virginia Banks Inc. of Falls Church, an acquisition valued at $185.3 million. The meeting will be at 2 p.m. at the bank's headquarters in Bluefield. Shareholders of record on April 11 will be able to vote.
Occupancy in downtown Roanoke office buildings fell 1 percent in the past year, while suburban markets gained tenants, according to a new survey by Waldvogel, Poe & Cronk Real Estate Group Inc. William D. Poe, broker at the firm, said he expects improved rates in 1997 because of limited plans for construction of new space. The report is the firm's 10th of an annual survey of commercial office space in the Roanoke Valley. Copies are available from the firm.
America Online Inc., settling a class-action lawsuit brought by frustrated subscribers, agreed Thursday to expand its offer of refunds to millions of customers who had trouble getting on line. The agreement, approved by a court in Chicago, gives subscribers partial refunds of their monthly fees to compensate for problems dialing into the on-line service in February and March.
LENGTH: Short : 41 linesby CNB