The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU has secured more than $5.3 million to fund one of the nation’s few business journalism programs.

Susan Veidt, general manager of Fleishman-Hillard St. Louis and regional director of the agency's U.S. central region, has been promoted to president of U.S. Central, the public relations firm said Wednesday. (OMC)

St. Mary’s University School of Law will be able to expand the number of scholarships awarded to law students from Laredo through a new endowment.

The McClatchy Co. saw continued double-digit drops in revenue in October with revenue dropping 17.8 percent to $176 million from $214 million in October 2007. (MNI)

The Dow Jones industrial average dropped below 8,000 for the first time in five years and nearly a half dozen Memphis public companies hit new 52-week lows along with it. (MAA) (TNB) (BKI) (VRS) (AZO)

Organizers of the California International Marathon are accommodating record interest in the Dec. 7 race by accepting 250 additional runners after the cap of 6,300 participants was reached a full month ahead of the marathon.

Planar Systems Inc., a maker of specialty displays, reported sharply increased losses for fiscal 2008, despite higher revenue. (PLNR)

Skeptics of U.S. free trade policies and their pro-trade rivals in the business community are watching as president-elect Barack Obama makes his picks for key cabinet and economic posts.

Bank of America has awarded grants totaling $900,000 to Bay Area nonprofits. (BAC)

Cox Radio Hawaii, which owns and operates six radio stations in the state, has cut a handful of jobs and consolidated its sales and advertising departments. (CXR)

Sonic Solutions agreed to buy online video distributor CinemaNow Inc. (SNIC)

At its annual meeting Wednesday in Redmond, Microsoft Corp. executives said their Azure “cloud” technology is vital to the future of the company, but a deal with Yahoo is not. (MSFT) (YHOO)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) billing index for the U.S. architectural industry dropped to an all-time low in October, with the area that includes Colorado having the lowest regional rating.

Pinnacle Arbitrage Compliance LLC, a firm which handles arbitrage compliance for tax-exempt bond issuers and conduit borrowers, has signed a five-year lease for 4,184 square feet at White Station Tower.

Sonic Solutions agreed to buy online video distributor CinemaNow Inc. (SNIC)

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Laboratory announced the creation of a multimedia storytelling research center, funded through a $25 million donation by a Plymouth movie studio.

Cumulus Media Inc. Tuesday informed employees and listeners of WQKC-FM 93.9, that it would shift its sports-talk format to sister station WAVG-AM 1450. (CMLS)

The Alliance Global Logistics Hub, which houses the AllianceTexas development, has been named the No. 1 general purpose foreign-trade zone in the U.S. in terms of the amount of foreign merchandise admitted into the zone, according to the Foreign-Trade Zone Board’s 68th annual report to Congress.

St. Peter’s Hospital has been named one of the nation’s Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals for the ninth year in a row.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Leanna Clark, a co-owner for 11 years of Schenkein — one of the Denver area’s largest public relations firms — announced Wednesday that she will leave the firm at the end of January to devote more time to philanthropic causes.

The Gresham City Council voted Tuesday to allow Verizon to offer its FiOS TV service.

The Walt Disney Co. and IMAX Corp. have entered into a partnership that will see five Disney movies released in the IMAX format, starting with "A Christmas Carol" in 2009. (IMAX) (DIS)

Procter & Gamble Co. is swapping employees with Google Inc. in a program to learn how each company targets and markets to consumers. (PG) (GOOG)

Consumer Watchdog wants Google Inc. to implement more privacy protections in its e-mail and search systems as it may be looking at e-mails coming and going from GMail accounts.

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the Orlando time-share subsidiary of the Wyndham Worldwide hospitality company, has opened Wyndham Vacation Resorts in Steamboat Springs, Colo.

Procter & Gamble Co. is swapping employees with Google Inc. in a program to learn how each company targets and markets to consumers. (GOOG) (PG)

DynCorp International wins contract with Kuwait Air Force (DCP)

Southwest Media Group has been selected as the agency of record for Qatar Airways, a corporate airline specializing in luxury business class.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

AT&T Inc. is debuting AT&T Mobile TV in San Antonio, a new service that will give wireless customers the ability to watch video on their cell phones. (T)

General Dynamics Corp. will buy AxleTech International, a Michigan manufacturer with a plant in Oshkosh, from the Carlyle Group for an undisclosed amount. (GD)

General Dynamics Corp. will buy AxleTech International from the Carlyle Group for an undisclosed amount. (GD)

The University at Buffalo’s three campuses could undergo identity makeovers if UB moves forward with its plans to reshape and expand the campuses as part of its ambitious growth plan called UB 2020.

Dish Network LLC today added the high-definition signals of three of Louisville’s major network affiliates to its satellite television channel lineup.

Members of the U.S. Green Building Council have approved major changes that will make climate change and energy efficiency higher priorities within the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design guidelines for environmentally healthy buildings.

Managing Editor Dave Satterfield is leaving the San Jose Mercury News to join Sitrick and Co., the corporate communications company said Tuesday.

Unable to sell its KRON-TV station in San Francisco, Young Broadcasting says it may be forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Bonneville International Corp., the parent company of radio station KTAR, has signed a lease to move the station’s headquarters to Squaw Peak Corporate Center, 7720 and 7740 N. 16th St. in Phoenix.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

A Nashville company is promoting the country music brand in China.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

In response to a new deal between Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines, pilots for Alaska said that they want to share in the new agreement’s success. (ALK) (DAL)

The Bowl Championship Series is officially heading to ESPN, starting in January 2011, ESPN said Tuesday. (DIS)

Online advertising giant Google Inc. added archives of photos from Life magazine to its collection of images users can search. (GOOG)

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The Bowl Championship Series is officially heading to ESPN, starting in January 2011, ESPN said Tuesday. (DIS)

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

In response to a new deal between Alaska Airlines and Delta Airlines, pilots for Alaska said that they want to share in the new agreement’s success. (ALK) (DAL)

A California movie studio that wants to produce an animated version of the “Wizard of Oz” has been barred from trying to find investors in Colorado.

The Neighborhood Flix Cinema & Cafe will be auctioned off Nov. 25 to satisfy a Denver tax lien.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Online animation company MyToons Inc. has launched a new digital portfolio system that artists and animators can use to build their own animation portfolios either from pre-designed layouts or from scratch.

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Rawlings Sporting Goods Co. and its sister company, Worth, hired Adamson as its interactive marketing agency. (JAH)

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

Belgian beer maker InBev said Tuesday it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc., creating the world’s largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

NBC Universal is looking to expand its joint venture Hulu to Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan as part of an overall expansion of its international presence, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter. (NWS) (GE)

The flagship rating system for green buildings is getting a major upgrade next year to make climate change and energy efficiency even higher priorities.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

Belgian brewer InBev completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer.

New England cable sports network NESN has agreed to a multi-year contract with ex-Red Sox pitcher Dennis Eckersley, who has served as a studio analyst during the network’s Red Sox pre- and post-game coverage since 2003, the network said.

Tengion co-founder and CEO Dr. Steven Nichtberger has received the Ernst & Young national Entrepreneur of the Year award for emerging companies.

Belgian brewer InBev announced Tuesday that it has completed its $52 billion purchase of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. Effective today, the combined company is named Anheuser-Busch InBev and ranks as the world's largest brewer. (WYE) (BUD)

Disruptions in financial markets, including the subprime mortgage crisis and the bankruptcy and restructuring of key financial institutions, pose challenges to OSI Restaurant Partners LLC.

Warren Luke, chairman, president and CEO of Hawaii National Bank, has been re-elected to treasurer of the American Bankers Association, a national trade organization of financial institutions representing more than $13.3 trillion in assets.

CB&E Construction Group has been selected as the general contractor on the Marriot reflag of the Hyatt Regency inside Union Station.

Local photographer Eric Cassee is competing against six other finalists to showcase his perspective on remote elements of Arizona for a national spread in 944 Magazine in March.

The Florida Agency for Health Care Adminstration has collected a $1.4 million Medicaid rebate.

Murray’s Cheese, a well-known New York purveyor of fine cheeses, will open a location at the new Fresh Fare by Kroger store in Kenwood, and at two other area Kroger stores. (KR)

The Florida Agency for Health Care Adminstration has collected a $1.4 million Medicaid rebate.

The affordability of homes in Alabama dropped nearly 8 percent in the third quarter compared to the previous quarter, while it rose nearly 2 percent in the Birmingham area, according to the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama.

Premier Power Renewable Energy Inc. swung to a loss in the third quarter.

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services has lowered its corporate credit rating of the parent company of the Florida-Times Union amid concerns the company might file for bankruptcy to reduce its debt.

FSN Rocky Mountain and the Colorado Rockies said Monday they have signed a contract extension that will keep most of the Denver baseball club’s games on the eight-state cable network for the next 12 seasons.

Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc., the parent company of Fatburger Inc., increased revenue, but also had a loss in the third quarter.

Tony Ponturo, Anheuser-Busch Inc.’s vice president of global media and sports marketing, will retire from the brewery Dec. 31.

The Washington Post’s Kaplan education division is adding firefighters and paramedics to its list of students, acquiring National Paramedic Institute, Inc. for an undisclosed sum. (WPO)

The Boyd Theatre at 19th and Chestnut streets moved a step closer to a proposed $135 million redevelopment after the Philadelphia Historical Commission voted to grant the builder permits to move forward with the project.

PGA Tour officials named the Wyndham Championship last year’s “Most Improved Event” during the Tour Advisory Council annual meetings in Florida this week.

Pace Communications received 18 awards last week at the Custom Publishing Council’s Pear Awards ceremony in New York.

TiVo Inc. and Domino's Pizza Inc. on Monday announced a joint service in which TiVo subscribers can use their television to order pizza and then track its delivery. (TIVO) (DPZ)

TiVo Inc. and Domino's Pizza Inc. on Monday announced a joint service in which TiVo subscribers can use their television to order pizza and then track its delivery. (TIVO) (DPZ)

Austin CarShare, a car-sharing program, is adding six Toyota Prius hybrid cars, more than doubling its fleet.

Bright House Networks has entered the online video market, and is now offering more than 3,000 movies and television shows through its new online video store. (TWX) (AAPL) (NFLX) (BBI)

TiVo Inc. and Domino's Pizza Inc. on Monday announced a joint service in which TiVo subscribers can use their television to order pizza and then track its delivery. (TIVO) (DPZ)

The fitness craze may have started in the 1980s, but smaller, 24-hour gyms are taking the Dayton area by storm.

Milton Baucom walked away from a steady machine shop job for an Anson County family farm like he’d left years before.

In the Democratic state of Maryland, TV and radio station bosses are singing the blues.

Tracy Durkin won’t be expanding Urbanite magazine to Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., anytime soon.

AOL advertising unit Platform-A, which includes Baltimore’s Advertising.com, has seen a 12 percent drop in revenue for the first nine months of this year because online marketers — and one major customer in particular — have scaled back their spending amid the economic crisis.

Marketing Baltimore County’s six golf clubs will be anything but par for the course this year.

Mind Over Machines, the Owings Mills software firm led by local information technology industry hero Tom Loveland, bought the custom software designing department of 27-year-old IT stalwart System Source for an undisclosed sum.

Distributor Cardinal Logistics Management has notified the state that it will eliminate 58 jobs in Aberdeen next month as it winds down a local contract with convenience store giant 7-Eleven.

These days, everybody realizes that money changes everything. Several Baltimore businesspeople proved that at this month’s performance of The Stoop, a storytelling series at Centerstage.

Basements lay open to the sky as naked Siberian elm branches cast spindly shadows instead of shade. Greensburg, Kan., had no school, no City Hall, no downtown, no hospital and no stoplight.

For information on Kimberly-Clark Corp. and its many paper brands, consumers could visit the company Web site or search the company on a plethora of social media sites. Kimberly-Clark pops up more than 2,000 times on blogs, 15 times on a personal update site and 14 times on an employee review database.

Perhaps growing up the son of a television station executive explains Mike Schuch Jr.’s side projects that have become part of the family business.

The Minneapolis Downtown Council is objecting to the city’s proposed 15-year contract with Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. to replace many of the city’s transit shelters and other street-corner amenities.

When David C. Cole steps down from running Maui Land & Pineapple next year, there will be plenty of financial challenges for a company that has seen its revenue cut by half so far this year. (MLP)

The stairwell connecting the seventh, eighth and ninth floors of Pauahi Tower in downtown Honolulu can become busy as employees of Anthology Marketing Group pass one another en route to meetings.

In July 2002, Rick Blangiardi sent a memo to 30 managers working at television stations KHON2 and KGMB9, requesting a meeting in the Alii Tower in downtown Honolulu.

Employees at D.R. Horton–Schuler Division have a long tradition of giving their own time to the community.

Here’s a head-turning headline you won’t see in The Boston Globe: The venerable broadsheet told its unions it was losing close to $1 million a week as recently as this summer.

JACKSONVILLE — CSX Corp. is taking a different approach to the government. (CSX) (NSC)

RALEIGH – A recycling program at the RBC Center that was accelerated this year has boosted the amount of garbage saved from landfills from 10 tons a year before the effort to 25 tons now.

Relax, Capital Public Radio is still Capital Public Radio. Executives at the local station briefly considered changing the name until the vast majority of members made it clear they’re perfectly happy with it.

Change is coming to America. I couldn’t be more thrilled. From the covers of newspapers, national publications such as Time and Newsweek, to blogs, radio station stories and instant message exchanges, our country has not seen anything like this.

Michelle Abreu finds herself in the same boat as many Central Ohio business owners now that Barack Obama is the president-elect.

When droves of Memphis area residents started heading south a few years ago to build new homes in new communities, they found DeSoto County welcoming them with open arms.

Four campaigns earned top nods at the Public Relations Society of America Gulfstream Chapter’s 2008 Creative PR Olympics. The annual event showcased 10 PR and marketing campaigns – and the strategies that inspired the work.

Mix aspects of the website YouTube with ESPN’s highlight show “SportsCenter.”

Featured Event: Teddy Bear Picnic, 11:30 a.m. Nov. 23, Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa,

Rio Rancho-based ClingZ Inc. is poised for a jolt of growth.

Keith Lawson has been preparing his business and his clients for months. While it may not garner the same national attention as an increase in the price of stamps, upcoming changes at the U.S. Postal Service will have a big impact on direct-mail marketers nationwide.

Students in Heather Hartmann’s finance and banking class at Clarence Central High School are in charge of the new credit union there.

I talk with many senior managers who are disappointed in the quality of the referrals they receive.

Creative Presence Partners Inc. has been retained by The Los Angeles Athletic Club (LAAC) to market a prestigious national college sports award. The Atlanta-based marketing firm will be working to promote the John R. Wooden Award, an honor bestowed annually to the most outstanding college men’s and women’s basketball players.

Phoenicians craving old school hip-hop beats from the likes of 2pac, A Tribe Called Quest and Slick Rick have a new station to check out on the FM dial.

The sky is falling and Chicken Little is nowhere to be found.

The St. Louis Business Journal has a new look.

The presidential campaign is over, but working behind the scenes was another group of election winners and losers:

Regulators are watching out for any signs of profiteering against basic-cable subscribers as pay TV operators wind down analog cable services and ramp up all-digital cable packages.

Some 65 percent of Bay Area nonprofits reported a drop in individual giving in the third quarter of 2008; a quarter acknowledged that revenue had dropped more than 10 percent.

Venture capital firm Flybridge Capital Partners is investing $5 million in a startup aiming to make the production of digital advertising less expensive through offshoring. (GM) (IT)

Talking with an array of commercial brokers and developers across the Triad these days is an exercise in faith — faith in the belief that the region is well-positioned to close deals, create jobs and grow the economy. Just not right now.

One hundred bankers, city and state officials, and developers packed a room in the Old Post Office at the end of April to sort out the mess resulting from the shutdown of Pyramid Cos.

There is a hunger for food made without gluten, and Melanie Weir is tapping into that by providing everything from snacks to bulk products all in one place at her Gluten Free Specialty market at 2612 J St. in Sacramento.

I love what I do and don’t want to kill myself doing it. I want to have a life and enjoy it, and believe there can be a balance between work and play. In fact, work should be fun.

The wind power industry installed nearly 1,400 megawatts worth of turbines in the United States during the third quarter of 2008, and the year-end total is expected to be the fourth consecutive annual record for installations. (BBY)

Employers’ tough choices on employee benefits will be the focus of GCG Financial Inc.’s Annual Benefits Symposium on Dec. 2.

Recent economic events have weakened business confidence and reduced business spending.

Every time we turn on the news, we hear how the economy is hurting the small-business owner. Fingers are pointing everywhere. While it is important to understand how we ended up in such a challenging economy, the most important question as a business owner is how do we survive?

Small-businesses owners have a million responsibilities, and if you’re like many entrepreneurs, the administrative work can seem tedious. However, selecting group health insurance is a task that can’t be taken lightly. Offering comprehensive, easy insurance is a powerful recruitment and retention strategy.

Earlier this year, I wrote a column on cold-calling and how it can be an ineffective way to prospect. I got a lot of response to it, and most agreed with that premise, but asked what to do instead. Here are some recommendations:

The ripple effects of a sour economy have reached one of the Triad’s largest marketing agencies.

Crosswoods Indoor Golf Center recently opened a second location at the intersection of Chandler Boulevard and Kyrene Road in Chandler.

Rick Clemente moved to New Mexico from Los Angeles more than a year ago without any big plans.

■ Colliers International broker David English was in Detroit last weekend. That’s because his brother, Doug English, was part of the Detroit Lions’ 75th anniversary team, honored during halftime of a Nov. 9 game. The former defensive lineman, who played 10 seasons with Detroit, still holds the franchise’s record for safeties. He’s also credited with helping to drive the team’s “Silver Rush,” which terrorized opposing quarterbacks in the late 1970s and early 1980s. David English, whose own football career at Texas Tech University was cut short due to knee injuries, said it was great to see his brother get honored and to hang out with Barry Sanders and other Lions greats. “I got to spend a lot of quality time with my family in a very cool setting — but the football game was horrible,” he said. Detroit, which now sports a wretched 0-9 record, got trounced by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 38-14.

Weichert Realtors-ABG Properties is expanding its presence on Frankfort Avenue with the purchase of the former Mom’s Music building, located at 2920 Frankfort Ave.

Russ Umphenour, welcome to Moe’s. And Schlotzsky’s. And Carvel. And Cinnabon.

Ron Schara is in the business of storytelling. And with deer-hunting season here, Schara’s full of stories.

Thousands of businesses write e-mail newsletters, but few do it well.

Fall membership drives for public radio and television stations had two separate outcomes due to Hurricane Ike.

When difficult economic times hit, one of the first things companies often do is cut marketing, advertising and public relations expenses.

Energy has become a subject touching every segment of daily life, encompassing energy resources beyond oil and gas, and marketing messages and tactics are changing accordingly, says Ward Pennebaker, principal of Pennebaker/Fifth Ring, a marketing, branding and communications agency.

Corinne Moreland has heard what many business owners in the Triad and elsewhere are saying these days — that banks aren’t lending any money in this economy. She’s glad it’s not true.

For Buffalo Sabres center Paul Gaustad, going green was an easy sell.

The Small Business Administration hopes to encourage lenders to resume making 7(a) business loans by letting them charge higher interest rates to borrowers.

For decades we have been a shop ’til you drop society.

Promotional items are a $19.4 billion industry each year, according to the Promotional Products Association International. That’s a lot of imprinted T-shirts, mugs, calendars, pens and flashlights – and it’s also a tried and true way to put your company’s name in front of people.