Salem Seeks to Re-Brand a Spooky Image October 31, 2004 • Salem, Mass., is looking for a new image beyond witches that will attract tourists beyond Halloween. Many business people are hoping to re-brand Salem for year-round appeal, with upscale restaurants, galleries and museums. But resident witches are among those who say the city shouldn't mess with success, NPR's Tovia Smith reports.
Pop Culture Hello Kitty: A Marketing Sensation Grows Up October 31, 2004 • She's worth billions, she has her own theme park and her face graces thousands of products. At 30, Hello Kitty is one of the great marketing phenomenons of all time... and she's just so darn cute. NPR's Susan Stone reports.
Female Farmers: A Growing Trend in America October 30, 2004 • The number of farms managed by women in the U.S. has grown markedly in recent years. NPR's Jennifer Ludden talks with women who have forged their way into a traditionally male-dominated industry.
Delta Pilots Take Pay Cut as Bankruptcy Looms October 29, 2004 • Delta Airline pilots agree to a 32 percent pay cut to help the airline avoid bankruptcy. Analysts say it's not yet clear whether those cuts will be enough to put Delta back in the black. Hear NPR's Jack Speer.
Economy Remembering Black Tuesday, 75 Years Later October 29, 2004 • Friday marks the 75th anniversary of Black Tuesday, when Wall Street crashed in 1929. On that day, panicked investors sent stocks tumbling by 12 percent and set the stage for the Great Depression. Hear NPR's Renee Montagne and James Kaplan, a Wall Street attorney and historian.
Economy The Marketplace Report: Black Tuesday Anniversary October 29, 2004 • NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Matthew Algeo of Marketplace about the 75th anniversary of the U.S. stock market crash that sparked the Great Depression. Algeo says the effects of that economic collapse still reverberate in today's economy.
Economy The Marketplace Report: Crude Oil Price Slide October 28, 2004 • NPR's Alex Chadwick talks with Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about the continued slide in crude oil prices and what it means for both consumers and the campaigns of President Bush and Sen. John Kerry.
Ovitz Testifies on Disputed Severance Package October 28, 2004 • Former Disney President Michael Ovitz has been on the stand for the past three days, defending a severance package valued at $140 million that a shareholders suit says was unjustified. Kim Masters reports.
Campaigns Keep Television Ads Coming October 28, 2004 • The last round of Bush and Kerry campaign commercials before Tuesday's election are on the air. Hear NPR's John McChesney.
Culture Cell Phone Ring Tones Top the Charts October 28, 2004 • Downloading popular songs to use as personal cell phone ring tones has turned into a $3 billion global industry. A growing revenue stream for songwriters and publishers, ring tones are now outselling digital downloads of music. NPR's Michele Norris talks to Geoff Mayfield, the director of charts for Billboard Magazine, which has just launched a "Hot Ringtones" chart.
The Marketplace Report: U.S. Airlines Feeling the Pinch October 27, 2004 • NPR's Noah Adams talks to Tess Vigeland of Marketplace about financial difficulties in America's airline industry. ATA, the nation's 10th-largest airline, filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday.
New Banking Rule Reduces Float Time on Checks October 27, 2004 • A new federal banking rule reduces the float time on checks from several days to one day, or even just a few hours. The banking industry expects to save billions of dollars by moving from paper to digital imaging, but consumer groups warn customers could face bounced checks and the fees they bring. NPR's Cheryl Corley reports.
Agent Ovitz Defends Tenure at Disney October 27, 2004 • In a closely watched trial in Delaware, former Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz took the stand yesterday to defend his tenure as president of the Walt Disney Company in the mid-'90s. Hear NPR's Kim Masters.
World Japan's Economic Reforms Pay Off October 27, 2004 • Long years in economic doldrums have forced Japan to change, which it doesn't like to do: cut jobs, cut costs, get rid of lifetime employment, shift paradigms. The economy is now growing again, but the long recession brought psychological changes to the country as well. NPR's Rob Gifford reports.
Law Slate's Moneybox: Spitzer's Anti-Fraud Crusade October 27, 2004 • NPR's Noah Adams chats with Slate columnist Daniel Gross about why New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is so effective at exposing fraud in big business -- and scaring the heck out of some Wall Street financial titans.