Water Flow Slows Firefighters 
No Injuries Reported In Regent Street Blaze

Accused Killer Says Victim Provoked Him

Friday, January 24, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





AROUND TOWN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PP&amp;L EARNINGS LISTED: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; PP&amp;L Resources has reported earnings of $2.05 per share of common stock for
the 12-month period ended Dec. 31, unchanged from the $2.05 per share in
earnings reported by the company for the previous 12-month periodReported
earnings in 1995 were influenced upward by several one-time adjustments. When
the effects of those adjustments are removed, earnings for 1995 were $1.79 per
share, compared with $2.05 per share for 1996. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The earnings reflect the 3.8 percent base rate increase granted by the
state Public Utility Commission in September 1995 and the growth in
electricity sales by Pennsylvania Power &amp; Light, the electric utility
subsidiary. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 NATION &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 COCA-COLA CAN SURGE AHEAD: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coke can now safely go ahead with its latest Pepsi challenge. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coca-Cola Co. and a small Illinois dairy and agricultural products company
on Thursday settled a trademark dispute that had threatened Coke's Super Bowl
Sunday launch of its new Surge soft drink. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While details of the agreement weren't released, Coke said its television
advertising campaign for Surge will proceed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coca-Cola is betting its new green high-calorie, high-caffeine drink can
win over young consumers who have made Pepsi's Mountain Dew one of the
hottest-selling soft drinks in America. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Babson Bros. said it didn't want Surge, the name for its automatic
milking machine and green-colored industrial cleaning products, to be confused
with a "caffeinated, artificially colored, fully loaded soda pop." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Legal analysts had suggested Coke probably would have to pay Babson to use
the name rather than risk a judge blocking the high-profile Super Bowl ads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 BAD NEWS FOR McDONALD'S: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Big Mac attack has experienced yet another setback. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 McDonald's Corp. on Thursday reported that sales at stores open at least a
year, an industry performance standard, declined for the fourth consecutive
quarter, although the company did not reveal percentage losses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The news highlighted the disarray and increasing franchisee disaffection
that plagued the world's largest fast-food chain in 1996. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Some franchisees are in near revolt as they see years of handsome profits
erased by fewer customers and the company's focus on costly quality measures.
And complaints about the chain's food being bland are increasing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 BROADCASTERS SHOULD NIX LIQUOR ADS, SAYS LAWMAKER: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The government shouldn't regulate TV liquor ads, but broadcasters should
voluntarily agree not to air them, a key lawmaker on telecommunications policy
says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I would prefer to see this resolved with a self-regulatory code of conduct
through the broadcasters," Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., said in a recent
interview with The Associated Press. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Tauzin is the newly named chairman of the House Commerce Committee's
telecommunications subcommittee. The panel has jurisdiction over the Federal
Communications Commission. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 FCC Chairman Reed Hundt has said he intends to begin a broad inquiry this
year on ads for distilled spirits, including vodka, tequila and whiskey. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The inquiry could include possible regulatory options to restrict such ads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The liquor industry last year decided to abandon its decades-old voluntary
ban on TV and radio ads. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WORLD &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PRICE OF COFFEE FUTURES SOARS: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Coffee futures prices soared to 16-month highs Thursday after an
association of coffee producers agreed to cut exports at a time when quality
supplies are scarce. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 On other commodity markets, wheat and orange juice futures retreated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Association of Coffee Producing Countries, at a special meeting in
Brazil, endorsed a proposal to trim 300,000 bags of quality arabica coffee and
1 million bags of robusta coffee from the current 26.28 million bag export
cap. Each bag weighs 132 pounds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Arabica coffee is the type used in gourmet blends, and the lower-quality
robusta often is used to make instant coffee. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The coffee association accounts for about 70 percent of world production.
Strict adherence to the new cap through June could worsen already tight stocks
and push consumer coffee prices higher, said analyst Arthur Stevenson at
Prudential Securities Inc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 -- Staff and wire reports &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Around Town 
Pp&l Earnings Listed: 
Pp&l Resources Has Reported Earnings Of $2.05 Per Share Of Common Stock For 
The 12-month Period Ended Dec. 31, Unchanged From The $2.05 Per Share In 
Earnings Reported By The Company For The Previous 12-month Period.

Around Town Pp&l Earnings Listed: Pp&l Resources Has Reported Earnings Of $2.05 Per Share Of Common Stock For The 12-month Period Ended Dec. 31, Unchanged From The $2.05 Per Share In Earnings Reported By The Company For The Previous 12-month Period.