August 21, 2000

Electronic Arts, world's leading independent producers of games for PC's and game consoles, will soon get some idea of how it is doing on two big investments: $350 million to develop an online gaming site called EA.com and another $350 million to produce games for Sony's next video game console, Playstation II; EA.com debuts in September, and Playstation II in October; Electronic Arts hopes to corner 30 percent of game market for Playstation II, up from 20 percent on current Sony players; John Riccitiello, president, sees an expanding opportunity in more powerful game consoles and PC's, as well as faster Internet connections; photos; graph (M)

Univision Television Network and Telemundo Network Group, nation's leading Spanish-language networks, come under fire for not having enough dark-skinned Latinos on and off the air and for relying on imported programming that all but ignores Latinos in US; critics say Spanish television should help familiarize immigrants with the American way of life and draw together Latinos of different nationalities; another criticism is that telenovelas, the popular soap operas, often perpetuate sexism, racism and antigay sterotypes; networks buy foreign shows because they are cheaper than creating new ones and because people watch them; photos (M)

Team of Norwegian divers finally open damaged outer hatch of Russian submarine Kursk, lying on ocean bed more than 300 feet below surface in Barents Sea following accident, probably caused by onboard explosion; find rear escape chamber flooded but no bodies or any signs of life; rescue teams prepare plan to use ship's crane to rip hatch off vessel and to begin grim task of recovering bodies and lengthy and dangerous mission of salvaging submarines twin nuclear reactors; maps; photo (M)

Fox Spinoff Has Benefited Some More Than Others When Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of the News Corporation, spun off 20 percent of Fox Entertainment Group to the public in November 1998, he was trying to convince investors that the company's entertainment assets were more valuable than investors were giving News Corporation credit for. The move has been better for News Corporation shareholders than for Fox shareholders. Since the spinoff, stock in Fox Entertainment has climbed just 20 percent, a far smaller increase than other media stocks, including Viacom, Walt Disney, Time Warner, Seagram -- and News Corporation itself, which has risen 85 percent. Market Place. [Page C7.]

Interview with conductor Sir John Eliot