The outlook isn't a lot better in the business of selling directories, profitable as they are now.
The closely held FastLane, based in Ottawa, sells directory-management software for Microsoft products, including Windows 2000.
[C6.] A Humorous Tack to Sell Directories In a $40 million multimedia campaign that is scheduled to begin today, Deutsch is taking an offbeat tack to build awareness of Verizon's offline and online telephone directories.
After selling his directory business in 1973, Mr. Cole turned to other ventures, among them a chain of hunting and fishing lodges.
Pushing back the deadline may help Qwest structure a deal to its best advantage, possibly by selling the directory business off in pieces to different bidders.
In Europe, for instance, Telecom Italia is selling its directories business for some $3.5 billion.
It was that Mediterranean flair that caught the eye of Bert and Sheila Holtan, a couple from Brainerd, Minn., who made a small fortune selling telephone directories.
It has pocketed big profits buying and selling Thomson Directories and a stake in Yell.com in recent years.Merck announced the world-wide withdrawal of Vioxx, its blockbuster anti-arthritis drug, after new clinical trials showed that it raises the risk of heart problems.
Qwest, which is based in Denver, is under heavy pressure to sell its directory business, QwestDex, or other assets to unload some of its $26.6 billion in debt.
Primedia acquired Bacon's, which sells media directories and press information to public relations agencies, in 1995 for $50 million.
A best-selling directory produced by Softbank Publishing Inc.
