Washington – National Public Radio is teaming with online radio broadcasters to appeal new music royalties that they say would put smaller operators out of business and force others to sharply scale back their online music offerings.
NPR filed a notice Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington signaling that it would challenge the ruling by a panel of copyright judges that would sharply raise the amount of royalties that NPR stations and others have to pay record companies for streaming music over the Internet.
NPR also said it was filing a request with the same court on Thursday along with other webcasters for an emergency stay blocking the adoption of the new rates, which are set to go into effect July 15.
In addition to NPR, smaller webcasters and a group representing major Internet companies including Yahoo Inc., Time Warner Inc.’s AOL unit and RealNetworks Inc. were expected to join in the motion for a stay on Thursday.
Separately, a bill seeking to block the new royalties and implement a different payment system is gathering steam in Congress.
GREENWOOD VILLAGE
Red Robin buy-back to net 18 Calif. stores
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. said Thursday that its Red Robin International Inc. unit will buy 18 franchised Red Robin restaurants in California for $47.5 million from Top Robin Ventures Inc. and Morite of California.
The chain expects to acquire 17 of the restaurants by June 17, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. It plans to operate the remaining eateries under a management agreement to be executed on the closing date.
DENVER
Movie library might be next Qwest draw
Qwest chief executive Dick Notebaert said the company is talking to movie studios about giving customers access to a library of films using the Internet.
The companies are discussing the schedule under which movie downloads would be available, Notebaert said. Studios have traditionally distributed movies in a series of “windows,” starting with an exclusive run in theaters before extending to pay-per-view television, DVD rentals and cable TV. He declined to name the studios involved.
GLENDALE
own digs into first: A U.S. rugby stadium
Glendale broke ground on its new international rugby stadium, Infinity Park at the Village of Glendale. The 5,000-seat stadium will be the first municipally owned rugby facility built in the United States, officials said Thursday.
Glendale is the first town in the country to adopt rugby as its official sport.
The stadium can add an additional 8,000 seats to the field. Adjacent to the stadium will be a recreation center, events center and community park. The stadium is expected to be completed by fall and the remaining facilities by spring 2008.
DENVER
United selling off safety-auditing unit
United Airlines is selling a Denver-based safety auditing business to Cincinnati-based Aviation Research Group/U.S. Inc. The operational safety auditing business unit, Partners and Resources for Operational Safety, conducts International Air Transport Association operational safety audits for airlines around the world.
Existing employees in Denver and auditors in other locations will remain in place, according to Aviation Research Group.
The decision to sell the business “supports our overall strategy of focusing on our core business,” according to William Yantiss, vice president of safety for United Airlines, in a written statement.
DENVER
United adds nonstop to Bakersfield, Calif.
United Airlines’ United Express operation will begin flying between Denver and Bakersfield, Calif., starting Sept. 5 with 50-seat regional jets. The Denver-to-Bakersfield flight will depart at 5:35 p.m. and the Bakersfield-to-Denver flight will depart at 6:00 a.m.
WASHINGTON
19 young biz whizzes win $1,000 for college
A total of 19 Colorado high school students will each receive a $1,000 scholarship for college from the National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation, the organization announced Thursday.
The scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors, with the money going to pay for tuition at the university, college or vocational institute of the students’ choice. Recipients were selected based on a combination of a written essay, standardized test scores, grade-point average and class rank. The program, launched in 2003, this year awarded 423 scholarships to students nationwide.
CHICAGO
Bally Fitness to hold restructuring vote
Bally Total Fitness Holding Corp., the largest U.S. health-club operator, will ask creditors to vote in mid-June on a restructuring plan that would put the company in the hands of bondholders.
Under the plan, affiliates of Goldman, Sachs & Co., Tennenbaum Capital Partners LLC, Anschutz Investment Co. and other owners of bonds due in October would share all of the common stock of the reorganized firm.
The proposed plan “lays the foundation for a restructuring process that will enable us to invest in our clubs and upgrade our business model,” Bally’s chief restructuring officer, Don Kornstein, said in a statement.
ROUND ROCK, Texas
Dell to lay off 8,810 over next 12 months
Dell said Thursday that it would lay off 10 percent of its 88,100 employees over the next 12 months as it tries to increase profit. The computer maker also said that lower component costs and higher selling prices helped it produce stronger-than-expected earnings in its first quarter.
Dell surprised investors by reporting net income of $759 million, or 34 cents a share, on $14.6 billion in revenue for its first quarter that ended May 4. In the quarter last year, Dell reported net income of $762 million, or 33 cents a share, on revenue of $14.2 billion.
NEW YORK
Dow Jones’ owners to weigh Murdoch bid
The family that controls Dow Jones & Co., publisher of The Wall Street Journal, said late Thursday that it would consider a $5 billion bid from media mogul Rupert Murdoch to buy the firm.
The Bancroft family said in a statement that it would meet with Murdoch to discuss his bid, which became public in early May.
The statement shows a softening of the position of the family, which had previously indicated that it intended to block Murdoch’s bid to buy the company.
