European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 03, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 the stars and stripes Money matters monday. January 3,1994 today s rates following Are fixed rates a which Community banking and credit Union facilities will sell for eign currencies to . Personnel for personal use German Mark 1.66 British Pound. 1.53 dutch Guilder 1.85 greek drachma. 238.3262 note the rates above apply it thai tha Host country. Al guru Are expressed m Dollar to the British Pound other currencies to tit Dollar following Are Interbank rate that fluctuate and should be regarded As the approximate value of the . Dollar to foreign Curren cies -. Italian lira. 1,665.50 turkish lira. 14,119.50spanish peseta. 139.50 portuguese escudo. 173.35 austrian Schilling. 11.9335 saudi Royal. 3.7515 Bahrain a Dinar. 0.3767 kuwaiti Dinar. 0.298 norwegian Krone 7.3675 danish Krone. 6.635 British Pound. 1.5008 German Mark. 1.6943 Swiss franc. 1.4345 French franc. 5.7895 dutch Guilder. 1.8996 belgian franc 35.35 Canadian Dollar. 1.3268 note figures Are expressed in dollars to the British Pound other currencies to the Dollar Gold quote $386.35 an ounce ,.silver quote $5.03 an ounce acc delays station buys by Stern firm Washington a. The Federal communications commission is delaying $170 million in planned radio station Pur chases by the company that employs Howard Stern because of complaint about the sexual nature of the new York radio personality s broadcasts. Acc commissioner James h. Quill said last week that Stern has been the subject of repeatedly egregious offences he violates our indecency  the acc defines indecent program Ming As material that is patently Offen Sive As measured by contemporary Community standards for Over the air broadcasting and depicts sexual or excretory activities or  _ Quello said he and two other commissioners on the four member panel agreed two weeks ago to hold off acting on a re quest by Infinity broadcasting corp. To buy two radio stations. We Are deferring action until the complaints Are resolved there will be no attempt to rush1 it Quello said. He said it Likely will take More than month or two. It s indefinite he said. The new York times first reported the delay Friday saying it could be costly for Infinity. Its contract to buy a los Angeles radio station for $110 million requires Infinity to pay 10 times the station s Cash flow or earnings before amortization depreciation and taxes. After Jan. 1, the Price will be pegged to the annualized Cash flow for 1994. If earnings in january Are 5 percent higher than they were in january 1993, for example Infinity would have to pay a extra $5.5 million. Acc chairman Reed e. Hundt Dis qualified himself from deciding whether to approve Infinity s latest  s Law firm Latham & Watkins has represented the company Selling the los Angeles station Beasley pm acquisition corp. Euro Disney May be forced to shut Down Eisner says by the los Angeles times the beleaguered euro Disney them Park outside Paris is doing so poorly it might have to close unless it gets help soon from its lenders the chairman of Walt Disney co. Said in an interview published Friday. Michael d. Eisner in his strongest re Marks yet about the troubled 20-month old Park was quoted in the French weekly Magazine be Point As saying every thing is possible concerning euro Dis Neys future including closure i efforts to improve the Park s financial health fail. Eisner s comments surfaced Only Days after he called euro Disney s performance dreadful Disney owns 49 per cent of euro Disney sea the Park s operating company the rest is held by private investors. Disney also manage the Park. The debt Laden attraction lost aping $920 million in its fiscal year that ended sept. 30. That loss led to a $78million fourth Quarter loss for Burbank  Disney in the same fiscal year the entertainment giant s first quarterly loss in nine years. Despite those problems analysts say itis highly unlikely that Disney will close the Park 20 Miles East of the French Capi Tal. The company reputation not to mention hundreds of millions of its Dol Lars Are at stake in the venture. Eisner s comments and earlier Tough talk about the Park s future by Disney executives arc instead seen by Many observers As an Effort to pressure euro Dis Ney s Bank lenders and other creditors to quickly reach agreement on a plan to Case the Park s debt Burden. Asked by be Point if he had threat ened euro Disney s lenders with the withdrawal of Disney s support Eisner replied the word threaten does seem fair to  we have always said we would sup port euro Disney until March 31," Eisner said. If a fair Accord is found from now until then Between the Walt Disney co. And All the Banks and investors the euro Disney continues. That would be a Happy end in the tradition of the  still Eisner s refusal to Rule out the Park s closure triggered an 8 percent slide in euro Disney s Stock Price Friday to $5.14 a share in Paris trading. Shares in Walt Disney co. Then fell ,.to.4236,in new York Stock Exchange composite trading. Disney s corporate offices were closed Friday and Eisner and other officials could not be reached for comment on the French article. Filling pm up Volker Englert Nils canisters with gasoline Friday in  Irmburg Ger Many. The new year has brought a Gas tax increase driving up the Price of gasoline for germans even further. Travel benefits for no agents raise questions Washington a former California con Gressman Jim Bates is among a number of americans who without any relevant training or qualifications get travel a ent credentials entitling them to huge vacation discounts and vip treatment. Bates a Democrat said he purchased a card that identified him As a travel agent a couple years ago and was Happy to get the discounts. His name was used Bijj Avold View International of Sandiego in advertisements that said for $495 anyone could become an Independent contractor and get Cut rates. In three trips i saved Over $1,000, i m sold on world View and recommend them to my friends said the Bates testimonial. Tim Donlan who Heads world View did not return Calls. There is Little Law enforcement can do to address the problem said Hershel Elkins of the California attorney general s department. It would seem to be up to the various hotels and airlines to police it. I seriously doubt there is a violation of Law he said. Concerned travel agent Trade groups Are developing counterfeit resistant identification card aimed to protect their exclusiveness. The american society of travel agents representing about half the 32,000 travel Agency outlets in the nation recently amended its code of ethics to say that no Mem Ber will provide credentials to people not in the business. For those who offer the discounts like hotels and air lines the Issue is More one of credibility than economics since they already offer so Many different prices for the same service. Agencies such As world View International sell membership cards to the general Public promising discounts for travellers who have no intention of becoming agent themselves. Anastassia Mann who runs a los Angeles travel Agency said the practice has been growing. There is too much abuse. We have to professionalize the benefits of this Industry she said. Sci plans local phone services paper says Washington a Sci com Ine unidentified no nil re to a Jar u _. Mimun cations corp. Wants to build local phone networks that would allow custom ers direct Access for its Long distance services according to a published report. The plan would be to bypass regional Telephone companies that now charge Long distance companies a fee for Access to their lines. A formal announcement by Sci the nation s second largest Long distance company could come this week the Wall Street journal said thursday Quot ing unidentified people close to Sci. It could Start the Competition that regulators believe is necessary to allow the regional Bells to break out of the restrictions prohibiting them from certain Tele communications opportunities including the Long distance Market. Sci spokesman Kevin Inda said the company had no comment. Under the plan described by the journal Sci would spend More than $1 billion to construct its local net Ork. The Money would come from the $4.3 billion Sale to British telecommunications of a 20 per cent share in Sci said the newspaper. Sci has said it has been talking with Cable companies such As Tele communications inc. And time Warner inc. About having the Cable to companies carry its Long distance traffic to the final destination instead of using local lines. In november Sci announced it would do a trial in Alexandria va., of Telephone delivery by Cable to Hook up with Jones Light wave inc., a subsidiary of Jones inter Cable