Marketplace: Thursday, September 16, 2004

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A look at today's markets (closing numbers)
DOW 13.13 (0.13%) ; NASDAQ 7.56 (0.40%) ; S&P 500 3.13 (0.28%)

Newscast About a dozen U.S. deaths are blamed on Ivan... but it was expected to do much worse than it did. New Orleans will remember this storm as another uncomfortably close call. Officials at Medicare today said they're changing policy on diagnosing Alzheimer's. The government insurance plan for the elderly and disabled will now cover brain scans for patients who show signs of Alzheimer's dementia. Overseas, the claws are out as speculation grows that Ford will close one of the three Jaguar factories in Britain. Sales of the luxury car have slumped on this side of the pond and the company is reported to be considering serious surgery. Clear Channel has 18 stations carrying Spanish language programming. Reading the writing on the wall, today the country's largest owner of radio stations said it would convert another 20 to 25 outlets to what it calls "Hispanic formats"... It may be the start of a serious rivalry with Univision, the current number one Spanish language broadcaster in the U.S. Listen to all newscast items

Features Pro Hockey - waits in the penalty box Hockey has been put on ice -- and we're talking figuratively here. The National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement with its players expired last night, and team owners have voted to lock the players out until a new contract is hammered out. And even if you don't know a hip check from a slap shot, you may be able to guess what this dispute is about. Reporter: Matthew Algeo Related Story: Hockey fans will miss out most Jaguar - Stan Getz Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Virtual football tastes great, less filling You know it's not just the NHL. Pro football is getting kicked around too -but in another way. Look at one of the staple products, Monday Night Football. ABC launched season number 35 this week. But there's a problem. It's got serious competition. The latest edition of the John Madden NFL video game was released last month and already appears to be more of a hit than the real thing. Here to compare game against game is Marketplace business of sports analyst, Ed Derse... Q + A: David Brown with Ed Derse Related Story: Madden Football an icon of the video game set Football - Iggy Pop Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Just the facts, ma'am ... CBS has promised a full-court press to determine the authenticity of documents suggesting lapses in President Bush's National Guard Service. Last week, to support a story claiming the President tried to sugarcoat his service record, CBS used what some critics say were forged memos. Now questions about the authenticity of the memos have taken center stage. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and notably the Washington Post are following CBS's attempts to explain the barrage of questions. Commentator and writer Chris Nolan says big media has some folks to thank for this turnabout. A new breed of self-appointed journalists known by most of us as web loggers - or bloggers. Commentator: Chris Nolan Related Story: Bloggers key to tracking down truth in media Beat Bonanza - Mike Clark Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Smaller airlines struggle too Another airline could be headed for bankruptcy. We ought to put that on a tape loop. Italy's Alitalia wrung out a deal with its flight crews to roll back benefits and cut staff, but that still may not be enough. Stateside, US Airways filed for Chapter 11 this week. United's stuck in it. And Delta's on the edge, too. Many say that low cost competition is to blame, at least in part. Cut-rate carriers now account for about 25 percent of all airline business here in the U.S. But that doesn't mean all the little guys will be winners in this dogfight. Reporter: Cheryl Glaser Related Story: Delta auditor raises doubts on carrier Southwest - Stereocrush Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource Refugees and the quest for housing It has now been ten years since the founding of the Palestinian Authority. It's an authority that Palestinans, themselves, are challenging more and more at the moment. There have been riots over how the Palestinian Authority doles out the aid it receives. And that's feeding into worries over what it plans to do with $200 million earmarked for free apartments in the Gaza Strip. Reporter: Irris Makler Related Story: Israelis Back Gaza Pull-Out, Want Referendum Rebuilding - Danny Elfman Support Marketplace: Purchase this music from Public Radio MusicSource

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