PRESS DIGEST - New York Times business news - Sept 24
Sept 24 (Reuters) - The New York Times reported the following stories on its business pages on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
* The United Automobile Workers union, in an unexpected move late Sunday night, set a strike deadline of this morning in negotiations with General Motors GM.N. The action signaled that there had been a major snag in talks that had appeared to be heading toward a new contract.
* Xerox Corp (XRX.N) is unveiling a costly solid-ink printer for businesses that will print color pages at the same price as black and white.
* As the First Albany Cos Inc (FACT.O) closes the sale of a controlling stake in itself to a private equity firm for $50 million, the investment bank is expected to rename itself and broaden its focus on the middle market.
* British television broadcasters, who have acknowledged recent deceptions involving issues from call-in shows to the queen, reported new examples last week of misleading programming, with the BBC disclosing that it had played fast and loose with the name of a cat.
* Pudding Media, a start-up based in San Jose, California, is introducing an Internet phone service today that will be supported by advertising related to what people are talking about in their calls.
* Hoping to make entertainment history, Microsoft (MSFT.O) plans to release the latest video game in its hit Halo franchise on Tuesday.
* Planet Hollywood has stood as a cautionary tale about the perils of celebrity and hype. But its founder, Robert Earl, hopes a new casino will be the crown jewel of its resurrection.
* A new British mobile service called Blyk will offer subscribers some free calls and text messages in return for their agreeing to accept advertising on their phones.
