Hughes Electronics said Tues. its 4th-quarter revenue increased 21.3% to $2 billion from $1.69 billion a year ago. It also said its operating loss dropped to $121.2 million from $371.8 million year earlier. For year, Hughes had total revenue of $7.2 billion, up from $5.5 billion in year. Loss from continuing operations narrowed to $60.3 million from $283.7 million. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $153.8 million, beating analysts’ projections. Company also said it had added 527,000 net subscribers in 4th quarter, with backlog of 110,000 who have purchased systems and are waiting for installations. “This report increases the stakes and makes the company more attractive to buyers,” analyst said: “There were concerns that they were starting to lose momentum to cable, but this reaffirms that they are still growing.” GM is in talks with Rupert Murdoch over possible sale of Hughes Electronics for price industry reports say is $40 billion (CD Dec 27 p2).

Motorola plans to stop cellphone manufacturing operations at its Harvard, Ill., plant, resulting in loss of 2,500 jobs from company’s total work force of 130,000. Motorola, which issued series of earnings warnings late last year, said move was part of its strategy to consolidate manufacturing and bolster financial performance. Harvard campus, which will continue to have 2,500 employees, will focus on order fulfillment and new product sourcing. “We cannot competitively manufacture products when there is surplus global capacity at Motorola’s lower cost sites,” Motorola PCS Pres. Mike Zafirovski said. Company said it planned to halt manufacturing at Ill. site by June 30.

PASADENA -- TV programmers agreed with network officials that there would be one or more strike on production of programming this spring by one or more Hollywood guild, in presentations to TV critics here. Seven studio heads predicted strike, saying it was “inevitable” and would be “devastating.” If writers and/or actors go out, it would drive viewers away, cause “incalculable” loss of jobs and hurt quality of programming -- with reality shows, as planned by networks as substitute (CD Jan 11 p3) not acceptable alternative, producers said. Strike “seems inevitable because both positions are entrenched,” said Dana Walden of 20th Century Fox.

Qwest said its customer service improved in 2000 with 98% of its installation commitments met when promised, representing best results in last 5 years, and 95% of its repair commitments met on time, best since 1996. In addition, more than 80% of service outages were repaired in less than 24 hours, up from 63% year ago, company said. It also announced line-sharing agreements with 4 competitors -- Contact Communications, Multiband Communications, New Edge Networks, NorthPoint Communications. Qwest said agreements would broaden availability of high-speed Internet and broadband services in its territory.

CARLSBAD, Cal. -- NAB and MSTV decided there’s “insufficient evidence” to continue DTV transmission tests of 8-VSB and COFDM and said industry should stay with 8-VSB as standard. Action was taken here Mon. at joint meeting of NAB TV board, MSTV board and digital steering committees of both groups and following digital “summit” of TV broadcasters in Washington last week (CD Jan 12 p9). Straw vote of participants at Cal. meeting was 29-3 in favor of 8-VSB with dissents from Pax TV, Sinclair Bcstg., Pappas Telecasting. Only Dean Goodman of Pax TV dissented in following formal vote by NAB TV board.

Several communications companies and associations donated maximum $100,000 to incoming President Bush’s Inaugural Committee, according to lists released by committee. Limit, imposed by Bush, far exceeds $1,000 legal cap on contributions to last year’s Presidential campaign. Jan. 20 Inaugural is expected to cost more than $20 million. Among those giving maximum: AOL, AT&T, CTIA, NBC parent GE, broadcaster Tom Hicks, Microsoft, Net2Phone, SBC.

Research firm Telephia said survey found 18% of wireless customers switched carriers in last year, not counting 10% of subscribers who dropped service altogether. Telephia surveyed 24,000 wireless voice subscribers in 28 markets. It said 44% of survey respondents indicated they planned to drop their current service in next year.

AOL Time Warner, having completed its merger late Thurs. night following FCC’s approval, announced its new 16-member board. Company said new board -- 8 members each from AOL’s and Time Warner’s old 11- member boards -- would meet for first time later this week. New board consists of: (1) XO Communications Chmn.-CEO Daniel Akerson. (2) Barksdale Group partner James Barksdale. (3) Hilton Hotels Pres.-CEO Stephen Bollenbach. (4) AOL Time Warner Chmn. Steve Case. (5) Kleiner, Perkins, Caufield & Byers partner Frank Caufield. (6) CGLS Fund partner Miles Gilburne. (7) Hills & Co. Chmn.-CEO Carla Hills. (8) AOL Time Warner CEO Gerald Levin. (9) Colgate-Palmolive Chmn.-CEO Reuben Mark. (10) Former Philip Morris Chmn.-CEO Michael Miles. (11) AOL Time Warner Vice Chmn. Kenneth Novack. (12) AOL Time Warner Co-COO Richard Parsons. (13) AOL Time Warner Co-COO Robert Pittman. (14) Fannie Mae Chmn.-CEO Franklin Raines. (15) AOL Time Warner Vice Chmn. Ted Turner. (16) Vincent Enterprises Chmn. Francis Vincent. In one interesting footnote to FCC’s approval of takeover, consumer groups that had fought for strong regulatory conditions on deal ended up urging Commission to okay it even though they and other critics didn’t gain interoperability of AOL’s current instant messaging (IM) services. New ex parte filing from last week reveals that Media Access Project’s Andrew Schwartzman and Consumers Union’s Gene Kimmelman pressed Comr. Tristani, last holdout in IM fight, to vote for approval because agency had won as much as it could. Despite their strong support for “full interoperability of instant messaging services,” Schwartzman and Kimmelman said, “the net value of the relief the Commission could provide to consumers and the public from a properly crafted decision justified acceptance of an order which did not provide full interoperability.” Sources said consumer advocates also probably feared what might happen if merger review lingered beyond Democratic Chmn. Kennard’s tenure, which will end Fri.

Sprint announced Tues. it would sell $2 billion in global senior unsecured debt securities to refinance existing short-term debt.

Although she hasn’t formally announced her resignation, FCC Cable Bureau Chief Deborah Lathen confirmed she planned to leave Commission soon after its new Republican chairman took over. Lathen, who has run Cable Bureau since spring 1998 and presided over further deregulation of cable industry, told us Fri. that she hadn’t decided on departure date but “will ensure a smooth transition” to next bureau chief. She said she also hadn’t decided what she would do next. At Western Cable Show in L.A. in late Nov., Lathen said her plan was to complete AOL- Time Warner merger review and then “wiggle my toes in the sand.” She brushed off questions about her legacy, saying she wasn’t focusing on that and considered it “the height of arrogance” to spin others about one’s record of accomplishments. “The way you live your life is your legacy,” she said. “Everyone in Washington is always talking about their legacies… I've tried to have broader aspirations.”