October 29, 2001

General Motors, in deal certain to draw scrutiny from regulators, will sell Hughes Electronics, owner of DirecTV, to EchoStar Communications for about $26 billion in cash and stock; sale would combine nation's two largest satellite television companies, creating behemoth with 16.7 million subscribers or more than even biggest US cable television company; EchoStar would control more than 90 percent of satellite television services for homes in US; combined company would use EchoStar name and adopt DirecTV brand for services; likely opposition to merger by federal regulators discussed; opposition by at least 10 members of Congress, including chairmen of several powerful committees, noted (M)

Article profiles Nassau County Executive candidates Bruce Bent, Republican, and Democrat Thomas R Suozzi; both agree that major issue in campaign is county's fiscal crisis; photo (M)

Bankrupt NextWave Telecom reaches accord to pay Verizon Wireless over $100 million and AT&T Wireless about $25 million to speed settlement in which it would emerge with some $5 billion from resale of licenses to provide wireless service and government would get about $11 billion; Verizon, which acquired most of licenses in January, and AT&T have reportedly been pressing NextWave to settle; federal court has ruled that Federal Communications Commission improperly seized and resold licenses after NextWave defaulted on payments (M)

Caryn James Critic's Notebook article on television drama series that will address World Trade Center disaster in coming weeks, defying predictions that television would not grapple with Sept 11 events in fictional terms for years; notes no show has yet depicted attacks themselves, instead cautiously circling around them; sees speed and immediacy of response speaking to central role of television as nation comes to terms with disaster; photos (M)

Bruce Weber reviews Alan Ayckbourn-Andrew Lloyd Webber play By Jeeves, directed by Ayckbourn; John Scherer and Martin Jarvis star; photo (M)

Metro Matters column notes that Talat Hamdani did not go to yesterday's memorial service for victims of Sept 11 attack because she does not believe, as she did once, that her son, missing since that day, is gone; she is holding on to reed of hope that her son Mohammad Salman Hamdani is being held in prison under suspicion because he is Muslim and his first name is Mohammad (M)

Anne Midgette reviews Metropolitan Opera production of Verdi's Luisa Miller; photos (M)

Qualcomm to Unveil System To Improve Aviation Safety Qualcomm, a leading wireless technology company, intends to announce plans today that it hopes will breathe life into Globalstar Telecommunications, the money-losing satellite company in which it holds a minority stake. In response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, Qualcomm says it has developed an airborne communications system that can be used to improve existing aviation safety services. The technology functions on Globalstar's 48-satellite system, which allows two-way communications between aircraft and a ground-based network. [Page C2.]

Barnes & Noble begins to remove books from its best-seller list after 12-month limit; says goal is to give new books prominence; has contributed indirectly to soaring best seller sales by promoting and discounting titles to lure customers (M)

UAL Corp board ousts chairman and chief executive, James E Goodwin, embattled head of UAL's United Airlines unit; names John W Creighton Jr to succeed him; Creighton comments on plans, interview (M)

New York Jets defeat Carolina Panthers, 13-12; photo (M)

Jonathan Franzen draws literary world's censure by questioning Oprah Winfrey's literary taste and declining to appear on her television program even though sales of his book, The Corrections, soared after being selected by her book club; apologizes for seeming to draw distinction between low and high literary culture, interview; photos (M)