LV Yellow Pages ad sales fall

Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2002 | 9:33 a.m.

PURCHASE, N.Y. -- R.H. Donnelley Corp., a sales agent for Sprint Corp.'s Yellow Pages directories, said advertising sales fell sharply after the terrorist attacks in tourist-dependent Las Vegas and Orlando -- Sprint's largest local markets.

But Donnelley said it managed to increase its quarterly profit by improving productivity and cutting costs. The per-share profit also jumped because of a stock repurchase program.

Net income for the fourth quarter excluding special items was $13.5 million or 46 cents per share vs. $11.3 million or 35 cents in the year-ago quarter. Fourth quarter advertising sales were $117.1 million, down from $138.8 million.

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