May 13, 2004

NBC formally announces completion of its acquisition of Vivendi Universal's entertainment operations, promising new entity that will aggressively cross-market its television, movie and theme park properties to drive profits while avoiding pitfalls of previous media mergers; NBC chief Bob Wright will be chairman of new NBC Universal; some industry executives say NBC's history in network television business, with its short-term thinking, might hamper NBC Universal's ambitions; pledge to step up NBC's already intensive cross-marketing immediately draws criticism from consumer groups that have challenged growth of big media companies; Center for Digital Democracy's executive director Jeff Chester says Universal was last real independent outlet for writers; adds writers will work for NBC and will have to do what network tells them to do; Wright also announces NBC has signed long-term deals with anchor Tom Brokaw and Dick Wolf, producer behind successful Law & Order series; Brokaw will continue to produce and be anchor of documentaries for various NBC channels for 10 more years after his retirement from NBC's Nightly News on Dec 1; Wolf agrees to remain housed with NBC Universal at least until 2008; photo (M)

Commerce Department reports United States' trade deficit rose sharply to record $46 billion in March, propelled by surge in oil imports and oil prices as well as strong demand for imported consumer goods; increased payments for oil imports added $2.2 billion to deficit in March, about half of total increase; oil effect will most likely grow worse because prices have increased about $5 per barrel since end of March, settling above $40 this week; Sen John F Kerry, presumptive Democratic nominee for president, uses new numbers to accuse Pres Bush of being lax on trade; Scott McClellan, spokesman for Pres Bush, says trade deficit underscores need to pass energy legislation to increase production of oil and gas and alternative fuels; overall, exports climbed 2.6 percent in February, and they were 14.6 percent higher than those in month year earlier; United States' trade deficit with China rose to $10.4 billion in March from $8.3 billion in February (M)

New York City school officials acknowledge that answer sheets supplied for citywide makeup reading test did not match questions, but but say results will count unless further analysis shows that scores were thrown off; about 2,400 children took test, including 1,300 third graders; mistakes have plagued tests, causing some critics to say that one test should not determine child's future; others call for retest; test was prepared by Harcourt Assessment Inc (M)

IN January, Eileen Foy, a real estate broker with Douglas Elliman in Manhattan, took two prospective buyers to see a one-bedroom apartment in an Upper East Side building. As she escorted them to the elevator, the superintendent chastised her for staging an open house, which had been recently forbidden by the building's co-op board. ''I said, 'I'm not, I'm just showing two people the apartment,' '' Ms. Foy recalled.

Ben Brantley reviews revised version of Tony Kushner play Homebody/Kabul, directed by Frank Galati and starring Linda Emond and Maggie Gyllenhaal; photos (M)