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Show BUSINESS 1.1)1 IUR: NANC Y BLISS Frequent, TECK WATCH full-far- By TOM BELDEN knight Kidder Newspapers There is little that annoys airline travelers more these days than the diminishing amount of legroom they get. In recent years, most airlines have devoted lots of resources to increasing the space provided to business-clasand passengers, giving each one from four to almost seven feet of room from one seat to the one in front of it. At the same time, the carriers have reduced legroom BobWunsiun first-clas- s s Webcasting becoming mainstream for coach passengers. In their coach cabins, most airlines have trimmed what Back in the old days, the only way you could experience both audio and video on the Web was to download it into your computer. It amounted to a long and tedious process. Thanks to streaming media, you can experience hot h audio and video with a quick click on a URL The process behind it is "Webcasting," a technology that's about five years old. Similar to a TV broadcast, a Webcast airs exclusively on the Internet. With virtually all types of companies offering audio and video content, Webcasting is rapidly becoming a mainstream Internet application, according to I'eggy Miles, president of the International Webcasting Association in Washington, DC. WEBCASTING IS a growing niche industry with job titles that include producer, audiovisual specialist, technician, content developer, engineer and chief technology officer, as well as battalions of sales and marketing people. Many companies are doing their own Webcasting, while others are farming it out to companies like San on-sit- e Diego-base- cio SATURDAY, AUGUST 2 1, 1999 THE DAILY HERALD 2 d INTERVU Inc. Webcast Solutions Inc. (webcastsolutions.com) in San Francisco and JumpCut (iumpcut.com) in New York City. (inter-vu.com- ). " The exciting part about Webcasting, according to Larry Gitlin, INTERVU's director of broadcast product ion, is it requires many different skills, attracting people from several fields. At the front end, production and camera skills are required; at ..he back end, a host of technical skills are needed to bring a Webcast to life. "It's hard to find one person with both creative and technical skills," says Cory Smith, Webcast Solutions' CM. BUT IT'S technical people who make companies like INTERVU, Webcast Solutions and JumpCut hum. The most exciting part about Webcasting is the blending of technical and creative skills, according to Smith. It's an opportunity to learn both ends of the business. " How do you land a job with a Webcasting company? JumpCut's president Marc Scarpa is impressed with people who take the initiative and him with great ideas. "Rather than just asking for a job, they're also bringing an idea or concept for a Webcasting program," he says. As for technical skills, Scarpa likes candidates who understand Windows NT and LANs (local area networks) and know something about encoding. For information about Webcasting and streaming media, contact The International Webcasting Association (www.webcasters.org) or Streaming Media World at www.streamingmediaworld.com. Bob Weinstein is a nationally syndic ated columnist and authority careers. He welcomes on high-tec- h comments at and questions travelers starting to get more legroom e they call seat pitch, or the distance from one seat to the one in front of it, from an average of 33 or 34 inches to 30 to 32 inches. Some carriers have as little as 28 inches of legroom in their coach cabins. The width of seats on many planes also has shrunk over the years, to about 17 inches, although some airlines recently have ordered jets made Industries that provide an extra inch of lateral space. When combined with the fact that airlines are selling a greater percentage of seats than ever before, carriers have a giowing number of disgrun s tled customers jammed onto flights anymore. plaint that he wrote to Delta most flights. Most airlines sell But when it comes to longer Chairman Leo Mullin. Nutt, said the seats an average of 75 percent of flights, complaints to the air- who is their available space these lines and the U.S. Department on a Delta 777 used on his May 16 flight between Atlanta and days, compared with about 65 of Transportation are growing, the carriers and the govern- London had so little legroom percent a few years ago. On short flights, most pasment agency say. Customers that he could not get his Jegs sengers don't complain much are even yelling in protest under the seat in front. about the fact that they are so about the newest l Trying to sleep on the seyen-hou- r crowded that they do not have planes, including the Boeing overnight flight was enough room to use laptop com777, which was touted when it impossible, Nutt said. Space was as a po tight that "two male passen- puters when they fold down debuted in the their tray tables gers in the cabin behind mine especially if more spacious and comfortable almost came to blows overthe the person in front of them alternative to older jets. A Delta Air Lines passenger, reclines his or her seat. Trying situation," he wrote. Attachejd to to eat a meal on the tray table Roger L. Nutt of Ormand the letter was a petition1 to s in such a confined space is not Beach, Fla., recently sent newsMullin signed by 61 other usually an issue, because air- paper editors around the counpassengers on his flight lines don't serve meals on short try a copy of a letter of com who backed Nutt's assertions. J long-hau- mid-1990- s cofceh-clas- (1(1 NEW BUSINESS Music Go Round OK EM Columbia Paint Round." a national chain of used musical instrument stores, recently opened a store in Orem to serve Utah County d i h customers. Students, music hobbyists and professionals can purchase quality instruments. Inventory :l. ftt J "A City. Growing residential and commercial development in Utah County has created increased demand for the company's products and services. "By expanding into Orem, we will be able to provide a higher level of service to painting contractors in Utah County includes a wide selection of instruments at haft the original price and new instruments at competitive prices. Owner Troy Jolley opened his original store in Midvale last year. His Orem store carries a full line of quality used and new instruments speakers, amplifiers, keyboards MIDI, electronics and accessories. Band instruments include saxophones, trumpets, trombones, flutes and clarinets, as well as violins and other stringed instruments. and to attract in the area," said Scott Olin, Columbia Metro Region vice president. Jesse Turbin transferred from Sandy to become the Orem Store manager. Rob Duncan serves as an account executive. He has experience in store management and outside sales as well as operating his own paint contracting business. "We're a music store, not a museum," said Jolley. "We encourage people to try our instruments." All used instruments have been inspected, cleaned, Columbia Paint & Seattle-basemana Coatings, ufacturer and retailer of architectural and industrial paint and coatings, opened its 32nd distribution center in Orem recently. It's Utah's third unit; others are located in Sandy and Park OREM "Music Go pol- ished and tuned and are guaranteed playable. Most instruments are half the original price. For example a new $1,200 alto saxophone sells from $500. A new $600 Jackson guitar is priced at $300. A new $400 Ludwig snare drum kit sells for about $130. The company also will buy back the instrument for about half the purchase price! "Music Go Round fills a North Sky OREM Courtesy photo Sound Investment: Troy Jolley, owner of Music Go Round, sells used musical instruments. He recently opened a new Orem store. dramatic need in Utah County," said Jolley. "Most music students now pay high prices for an instrument they will keep for only one or two years. We provide a recycling marketplace for quality instruments." Location: 65 W. Center Street Hours: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday Information: 226-334- 4 North Sky, an Internet holding company for FreeServers.com and Global Servers, relocated its offices to Orem Monday. The new larger facility will better aid in support current operations and facilitate future growth. North Sky, formerly Direct Connect, began operations hi the "soul room" of a once popular disco in Provo. The company's hosting services have experience growth of more than 30 percent each month since May. Since April it has increased in size from eight to ; ' 22 full-tim- e employees. "Relocating from a small room in a former disco to a high-tec- h campus is another important step for our compa- 1 said Hal Halladay, president and CEO, "and reflects the success we have enjoyed over the past several months." The new space, formerly part of the Novell and WordPerfect campus, was designed and built specifically for purposes and will assist in recruiting, hiring and retaining top employees. ny," high-tec- h Location: 1508 N. Technology Way, Orem Information: 371-696- 2 New Business is a look at ', expansions, new businesses, ' new locations and reorganizations in Utah County. The Daily Herald accepts press releases regarding new busT) ness and provides news coven-agas a free public service. Press releases should be limit- ed to 500 words. Send information Business Editor to: 7J P.O. Box 717 Provo UT 84603 fax: 373-548- ... nblissheraldextra.com i Absence makes IBM hearts grow fonder Senate strongly approves talent a quit. Instead, $7.1 billion in farm aid mind and president By CAROL K LEI MAN Chicago Tribune - CHICAGO most unusual One of the and helpful arrangements for workers who want a leave of absence but also want to work part time had its genesis way back in 1956 when IBM Corp. introduced a three-montpersonal e leave of absence for employees. The leave was increased to one year in the 1960s and to three years in 1988. Three years later, the leave of absence program was increased to five h full-tim- resource pool," said Ted of global Childs, vice work force diversity at IBM. The human resources veteran emphasizes that "it's a good business decision to give people maximum control over their lives. If you operate from the premise that you hire the best people and we do you want to send them the message they're valued and cause them to stay." Flexible schedules Maria years. S. Ferris, 42, manager of global work force diversity initiatives, is staying. Based in Cary, N.C., she's married to Paul Ferris, an IBM global mar- Leave of Absence Work Option, an official part of IBM's part-tim- e employment program, was introduced. It includes a minimum of 16 hours a week of work, prorated pay and vacation, full benefits, seniority, the opportunity to get pay increases and bonuses and a three-yea- r time limit. IBM, based in Armonk, N.Y., is an $81.7 billion company with 140,000 U.S. employees, so it's big enough and brave enough to offer employees the option of working while on leave. But there's a payoff for IBM, as well as for the 842 employees, 74 of them men, who currently use it. "Our motivation is not to be generous but to be astute in the management of our human have two children, ages 7 and 5. Hired in 1979, Maria Ferris was an employee relations adviser in 1993 when she took her first flexible leave of absence following the adoption of her son, Taylor. She worked two days a week. In 1995, she took a similar leave when Jordan was born; this time she worked three days. She came back to work full time six months later. "The program gave me the chance to continue to work on my projects and also to be home with my kids," the manager said. Karin Roberts, 39, manager of strategy and communications for the Y2K consulting practice of IBM Global Services in Oak Brook, 111., says if it weren't for the leave of absence work option, "I would have had But in 1997, a major addition was made: The Flexible keting executive. The couple lot of feel good about the time I give to the company and to my kids." to peace of I have Roberts and her husband, Chris, owner of the Tradeshow Network in St. Charles, 111., have a son Jeffrey, 10, and a daughter, Kari, 8. Since 1997, the manager, who started as an intern in 1984, has worked 24 hours a week. As her children grew older, Roberts wanted to be with them more. 'There are a lot of things they like to do, and if I worked full time they couldn't do them," said Roberts, who has an MBA. "They also need a sounding board." Her manager Steven Kagan, vice president of Y2K consulting, suggested that instead of leaving, Roberts, a valuable employee, try the flexible work option. "I did and it's a wonderful, wonderful program." It has enabled Roberts to be a computer "mom" for her children's schools; go on field trips; drive her kids to their activities; and even take a class in Web design. E. Jeffrey Hill, 46, senior human resources professional in Orem, Utah, and father of nine children, used the flexible leave program to complete his doctorate and after the birth of his last child. He now works full time from home. "If you have a personal life, you're more committed to the job," Hill said. well-rounde- d I By GAIL GIBSON Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON The Senate approved more than $7 billion in emergency relief Wednesday for farmers suffering through a season of low prices and dry weather. But producers will have to wait for the political dust to settle before they see the money. The House has yet to craft its own relief package for the slumping U.S. agriculture economy. And in spite of an 89-vote on the Senate Republican plan, both Democrats and the White House say it doesn't do enough to help farmers. Most notably, the Senate plan does not include specific disaster relief for farmers in Eastern states who are feeling the effects of the summer's long drought. Sen. Thad Cochran, a Mississippi Republican who crafted the package, said that issue would be worked out in the fall between House and Senate negotiators. "We think we have created here a fair program for all farmers," said Cochran, who called the package a "strong commitment." Speaker Dennis Hastert, has said the House is committed to taking action as well, 8 putting Congress on tracls to pass what would be a record farm aid package. Last year, the president signed a farm relief bill worth nearly $6 Million. jj The Senate's aid package includes roughly $5.5 billion in direct payments to growers of major grain crops like corn and wheat. It also includes $45 million for soybean growlers and $400 million in subsidies for crop insurance. )J The plan aims primarily jto boost farm incomes, whichfe suffering this year fromqw prices brought on by a glut n grain stocks at the same tinte that global demand Jhfcs decreased. j i TV Jackpot Today's winning: numbers 0150151 0152311! ! j 0151199 015669ft! 0157312 POOR COPY |
