Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies
Nielsen Media Research said it expects to decide in the next few months whether to scuttle a joint venture with Arbitron that is developing electronic "people meter" devices for measuring television audiences. The company said it has expanded the team researching the feasibility of the technology, which has been criticized for underreporting minority audiences. Nielsen compiles and analyzes rating information at a complex in Oldsmar.
Sykes Enterprises delayed filing its third quarter report for a second time, the Tampa company told regulators Monday. Sykes, which provides outsourced customer service through a global network of call centers, said it needs time to restate its balance sheet to reflect the reclassification of certain deferred revenues from long-term to current liabilities. The change is not expected to have a material effect, the company said.
7-Eleven Inc., the convenience-store chain taken private by its Japanese parent company, said chief executive Jim Keyes has retired and Toshifumi Suzuki has been named acting CEO. Suzuki, 72, chairman and CEO of Seven-Eleven Japan Co., will be acting president and chief executive officer until a successor is named, the Dallas-based chain said. Keyes, 50, who had been CEO since 2000, also resigned from the board. Last week, Seven & I Holdings Co., Japan's largest retailer, completed the purchase of the 27 percent 7-Eleven stake it didn't already own for about $1.2-billion.
Interest rates on short-term Treasury bills rose in Monday's auction to the highest levels since spring. The Treasury Department auctioned $18-billion in three-month bills at a discount rate of 3.910 percent, up from 3.870 last week. An additional $16-billion in six-month bills was auctioned at a discount rate of 4.195 percent, up from 4.155 percent last week. The three-month rate was the highest since April 16, 2001. The six-month rate was the highest since March 19, 2001.