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16% cut in workers' comp rates approved

By TIMES WIRES
Published November 1, 2006

State regulators on Tuesday approved a decrease in workers' compensation insurance rates that will drop average nearly 16 percent statewide at the first of the year. The National Council on Compensation Insurance filed for rates that would have been about 13 percent lower statewide, but state Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said the proposal was not enough.

Disney near deal for cable content

Walt Disney Co. is nearing multiyear deals to continue to supply billions of dollars worth of content to the two largest U.S. cable operators, Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Inc., according to a report in the Los Angeles Times. The negotiations have been going on for years and cover a wide range of issues, including the license fees Disney will charge for ESPN, the Disney Channel and its other networks.

Government wants safety data secret

The government proposed on Tuesday to keep confidential some vehicle safety data covering consumer complaints, warranty claims and information on vehicles involved in deaths and injuries. Consumer groups have tried to get access to the data, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the information "will cause substantial competitive harm and will impair the government's ability to obtain this information in the future if released."

Justice inquiry aimed at Sony

Sony said Tuesday the U.S. Department of Justice is probing its electronics unit as part of an industrywide investigation into sales of a particular type of memory chip. The news could spell more trouble for a company already stung by sinking profits, a global battery recall and product delays. The Japanese company received a subpoena from the Justice Department's antitrust division seeking information about Sony's static random access memory, or SRAM, business, spokesman Atsuo Omagari said.

Sony warns of PlayStation3 scam

Sony Corp. issued a warning Tuesday against false promotional offers for its upcoming PlayStation 3 video game console. A number of Web sites have been promoting pre-orders on discounted or bulk shipments of the game system - without the cooperation of Sony, the company stated. Company representatives suggested consumers can avoid potential scams by purchasing PlayStation products only from authorized retailers and resellers, including Best Buy and Wal-Mart.

Air America Radio sees sale soon

Air America Radio is talking to several parties about a possible sale and is hopeful of reaching a deal before Thanksgiving, a lawyer for the liberal talk radio network told a bankruptcy hearing Tuesday. Tracy Klestadt told the court that the privately-held company was "very hopeful" of reaching a deal by Nov. 22.

[Last modified November 1, 2006, 01:22:56]