Mci

MCI Communications Corp. reported yesterday a drop of nearly 50 percent from the previous year in 1990 profits. But the company said it had record revenues for the year. MCI blamed the decline in profits on a half-billion dollar investment in updated digital switching equipment.This Washington, D.C.-based long-distance company reported net income of $127 million for the three months that ended Dec. 31, up from $108 million in the same 1989 period. For the year, net income dropped to $299 million from $558 million.

Pro basketball Heat@Wizards Where -- MCI Center, Washington When -- Tonight, 7 What now? -- Washington, which had its three-game winning streak stopped by Phoenix on Wednesday, looks to get back on track against first-place Miami. The Wizards are in the middle of a stretch of playing six of seven at home as they try to climb back to .500. After a slow start, the Heat has turned things around, winning six of eight heading into last night's game against the Pistons since Pat Riley returned as coach.

WASHINGTON -- MCI Communications Corp. plans to establish a full range of local telephone services to business customers in Baltimore and nine other big cities by the end of this year, in what will be the biggest assault yet by a long-distance company on the local Bell companies.MCI, based in Washington, said its primary focus would be on business rather than residential customers, at least initially. Smaller companies that have offered such services have been able to offer business customers sharply lower rates.

Verizon Communications may sell or spin off its phone book business to pay for expansion in wireless service and high-speed Internet connections. A sale may fetch as much as $19 billion, said J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.'s Jonathan Chaplin, marking the biggest directory deal ever. The unit has 7,300 employees and $3.6 billion in annual revenue, New York-based Verizon said in a statement late Sunday. The decision would free Verizon CEO Ivan G. Seidenberg to work on fast-growing services such as television and high-speed Web access while demand for directory advertising slows.

Continuing a trend of realignment and consolidation that began last year, MCI Communications Corp. said yesterday that it is combining its four regional sales divisions into two national business units.The company did not expect layoffs as a result of the streamlining but did not rule out that possibility. "That decision hasn't been made yet," said spokesman Jim Crawford.Mr. Crawford said a small number of employees at the affected sites -- San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and Rye Brook, N.Y. -- might be asked to move as a result of the consolidation.

MCI Communications Corp. and two other telecommunications companies have forged an alliance that could speed the day when telephone users can roam the country and still be reached through a single number.The nation's second-largest long-distance carrier announced yesterday that it is investing $1.3 billion to join with Nextel Communications and Comcast Corp. to build a nationwide, digital wireless personal communications system within two years.Because Nextel already has assembled a portfolio of special mobile radio (SMR)

The County Council has given permission to MCI Inc., which owns a microwave tower in the Carsins Run area near the Interstate 95 Maryland House rest stop, to install a water line into the property to connect the county's public water service."

Now that Tony Turner no longer works for MCI Telecommunications Corp., he's selling more telephone services than ever.For MCI.Mr. Turner, who sold $6 million in services during his best year with MCI, is now president and chief executive officer of Annapolis-based Integrated Communications Corp. This month he cemented his company's status as the largest agent for MCI with a landmark contract under which Integrated has committed itself to selling $250 million in MCI communications services over the next two years.

MCI Communications Corp. announced yesterday that its Small Business Sales Center will leave Towson for new quarters near Baltimore-Washington International Airport as part of an expansion that will create 150 jobs.A spokesman for the nation's second-largest long-distance telephone carrier said the move was the result of the "phenomenal, overwhelming success" of its Proof Positive account review program for small businesses. The center now employs about 250 people, mostly telephone sales representatives, at its Towson site.

A seemingly harmless Northeast Baltimore brush fire ended up being more problematic for Marylanders last night as it burned a fiber optic cable and disrupted telephone service for thousands of MCI customers.The fire, which occurred about 9:10 p.m. near railroad tracks at Garrett Avenue and 25th Street, damaged an aerial cable that contained thousands of simultaneous relays, said Jim Collins, an MCI spokesman.As a result, MCI customers who attempted to place long-distance calls were often getting busy signals.

THEATER SEEING DOUBLE Brother will meet brother and East will meet West in the Shakespeare Theatre's production of The Comedy of Errors, opening at the Washington theater Sunday under the direction of Douglas C. Wager. For this play about two pairs of twin brothers separated at birth, designer Zack Brown has created a surrealistic set, inspired by Salvador Dali and M.C. Escher, and Middle Eastern costumes with Western touches. The production also has an original score, composed by Fabian Obispo, that blends traditional Middle Eastern music with modern trip hop. The cast is headed by Paul Whitthorne and Gregory Wooddell as one set of brothers, and Daniel Breaker and LeRoy McClain as their twin servants.

CHICAGO -- With its purchase of AT&T Corp. nearing final approval, SBC Communications Inc. said yesterday that it will adopt the AT&T name, a brand steeped in historic glory but one that also carries some baggage. San Antonio-based SBC, one of the nation's largest phone companies, is buying long-distance provider AT&T in a $16 billion deal that was approved yesterday by the Justice Department, which also gave its blessing to Verizon Communications Inc.'s $8.44 billion purchase of MCI Inc. For both deals combined, regulators required the divestiture of some fiber-optic lines in 19 metro areas.

Trent Reznor and his Nine Inch Nails have clawed their way into the angst-ridden hearts of millions since the 1989 release of their first album, Down In It. Currently with a hefty 20 compilations under their belt, NIN will perform at MCI Center in Washington on Wednesday night. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7, with opening performances from Queens of the Stone Age and Death from Above 1979. MCI Center is at 601 F St. N.W. Tickets are $45 through ticketmaster.com or 410-547-SEAT.

A performance by 2003's American Idol winner, Ruben Studdard (above), will be part of the "We Are Family" Hurricane Katrina Relief Benefit at the MCI Center Saturday. Scheduled to accompany Studdard are acts including Jody Watley, New Edition, the Stylistics, Dramatics, Chi-Lites, Delfonics, Peaches & Herb, Club Nouveau, Melissa Morgan, Cameo, Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge, Lisa Lisa and Lakeside. The show starts at 7 p.m. The MCI Center is at 601 F St. N.W., Washington. Tickets are $68-$103 and are available at ticketmaster.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Adding to its all-star roster of engineering talent, Google has hired Vinton G. Cerf, often referred to as the "father of the Internet." Cerf, who was awarded the National Medal of Technology by President Bill Clinton in 1997, joins Google from MCI Corp., where he is senior vice president of technology strategy. Cerf's role at Google is unclear. But Google executives said they expect "great things" from the Internet pioneer. "It's true Vint has broad interests, and exactly what he'll do, we'll see," said Bill Coughran, a vice president of engineering at Google.

ATLANTA - MCI Inc. plans to close a call center in Alpharetta, Ga., idling nearly 600 workers as part of three closings that will claim about 1,100 jobs in Georgia, Maryland and Iowa. MCI, which is in the process of being acquired by Verizon Communications Inc., told workers about the changes at the end of last month. They'll keep their jobs through next month. The losses in Alpharetta, an Atlanta suburb, will cut MCI's employee numbers there to about 1,000, said Stefanie Scott, an MCI spokeswoman.

IN 1995, I warned anyone who would listen that the soon-to-be-built MCI Center in Washington would forever change the way local fans related to professional basketball games. On my first visit there last month, I realize my prophecy is depressingly true.Upon arriving at the center, my wife and I are unsure of what to expect, yet we hope for a positive experience. After all, we are seasoned sports fans; we've made the transition from Memorial Stadium to Camden Yards for Orioles games, and in doing so learned that tradition need not be sacrificed at the altar of entertainment.

MCI Inc. confirmed yesterday that it's shutting down its Hunt Valley telemarketing center, a move that will result in 300 lost jobs by the end of September and bring down the curtain on a facility that just five years ago employed 1,200 people. Employees were informed Friday about the job cuts, which take effect Sept. 30, MCI spokeswoman Brittany Feinson said. Some executive-level employees will be transferred to MCI operations in Towson, where the company employs about 100 people, but other employees will be terminated, the nation's No. 2 long-distance provider confirmed.