AT&T AND BELLSOUTH MERGER; OSCARS; GHETTO MIASMA
AT&T AND BELLSOUTH MERGER
AT&T Inc. said Sunday it will acquire smaller rival BellSouth Corp. for $67 billion in stock, in a deal that goes a long way toward resurrecting the old Ma Bell telephone system. The deal would substantially expand the reach of AT&T, already the country's largest telecommunications company by the number of customers served. Consumers groups have voiced strong concern. AT&T was formed by San Antonio-based SBC's acquisition of AT&T Corp. in November. The deal added a substantial national reach to the former Southwestern Bell's local business, which is concentrated in 13 states, including Texas, California, and the Midwest. BellSouth is the dominant local telephone provider in nine Southeastern states. The merged company would have 70 million local-line phone customers and nearly 10 million broadband subscribers. In wireless, AT&T and BellSouth are already partners, jointly owning the nation's largest carrier, Cingular Wireless LLC. Under the deal, the Cingular brand will be phased out in favor of the AT&T brand “AT&T Wireless Inc.”
OSCARS
Larry opens the phones to our listeners for a discussion about the winners, and losers, at last night’s Academy Awards.
GHETTO MIASMA
Live in one part of LA, and you get sick. Move to another part of LA, you get better. More and more research is showing that where you live can have a profound effect on your health. And it’s not just a matter of economics or any one simple environmental circumstance. In mid 19th-century England, Miasma was a name given to an imaginary gas blamed for causing diseases such as tuberculosis to run more rampant in poor ghettos. In LA today, some of the effects of this imaginary gas are back—but what are the real factors causing these disparities in people’s health? Larry kicks off our week of investigations into health disparities, with a panel of leading experts and physicians who have studied this disturbing pattern. He’ll also talk with people about policies and programs intended to remedy it.