THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 17, 1996 TAG: 9604170523
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Business Briefs
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
Landmark Communications Inc. said it will launch a travel and leisure channel in France May 31. The Norfolk-based media conglomerate said the new French-language channel, called Voyage, will be transmitted to satellite and cable-TV subscribers in France. French broadcasting veteran Georges Bonopera has been named general manager of the channel. Landmark, parent of The Virginian-Pilot, also owns The Travel Channel in the United States and Latin America and a European channel known as Travel. Voyage will extend Landmark's travel-channel network to 37 countries across four continents. (Staff)
Railroads, biggest union
have agreed to arbitration
The nation's largest railroads and biggest rail union, the United Transportation Union, have agreed to binding arbitration averting a possible strike. UTU members rejected an earlier contract agreement in a vote that ended last week. The railroads declined to return to the bargaining table. On Monday, the National Mediation Board, a federal agency that oversees rail labor talks, offered arbitration. The UTU represents about 5,000 of locally based Norfolk Southern Corp.'s employees. (Staff and wire report)
Hearing on Lloyd's
restrictions reset
The State Corporation Commission has rescheduled a hearing on whether to restrict Lloyd's of London from certain activities in Virginia. The hearing, which had been scheduled for today in Richmond, was continued until 10 a.m., April 24. Earlier this month, Virginia's Division of Securities and Retail Franchising asked the SCC to bar Lloyd's from collecting $2.7 million from at least 26 investors and former investors in the London insurance organization. In a motion filed with the commission, the Division of Securities alleged that Lloyd's engaged in several unlawful practices when it solicited members in Virginia. (Staff)
GE to develop new
version of GE90 engine
General Electric Co. said it will develop a more powerful version of its engine used to power Boeing Co.'s twin-engine 777 jetliner. The new GE90-100B engine, which the company hopes to have in service by 1999, is GE's latest effort to beat out competition for 777 contracts from United Technologies Corp.'s Pratt & Whitney unit and Rolls-Royce PLC. The engine - the third of its series - would achieve 100,000 pounds of thrust when combined with an upgrade kit, GE said. The first and second versions are rated at 84,700 pounds and 92,000 pounds, respectively. A more powerful engine offers airlines the opportunity to make more money by carrying more passengers. (Associated Press) by CNB