OTHER NEWS - Sept. 6, 1996

Seagram Earnings Up 7%: The Montreal-based company said the rise in the shortened second quarter was due to contributions from its recently acquired MCA Inc. entertainment business and Dole juice operations. Seagram Co. earned $62 million, or 17 cents a share, in the two months ended June 30, compared with $58 million, or 16 cents a share, in the same period last year. The reporting period was abbreviated from the normal three months to account for Seagram changing the end of its fiscal year to June 30 from Jan. 31. MCA’s films, including the blockbuster “Twister,” helped overall profit at Seagram’s entertainment unit, which also includes the Universal Studios theme parks. MCA’s music unit lost $11 million because of higher spending on new artists and labels. Seagram’s earnings were above analysts’ expectations of 13 cents a share. In the five months ended June 30, Seagram earned $85 million, or 23 cents a share, compared with $3.35 billion, or $8.99 a share, in the year-ago period.