Assignment 21

Read the following article. Analyze how the key words or their synonyms from the headline are used in the lead and in the rest of the text developing the main idea.

Disney growth beats expectations

Revenues boosted by box office takings from Oscar-winning film

Income growth at Walt Disney regained its peak in the second quarter, beating forecasts of 45 cents a share with a 63 per cent rise to 49 cents - from 30 cents last time - on revenues up 10 per cent at $5.5bn.

Mr.Michael Eisner, chairman, singled out the group's film-related and theme park divisions as principal contributors to the advance. ‘I am extremely pleased with Disney's outstanding results [which] included impressive box office results from the Academy Award-winning The English Patient and continued growth in worldwide merchandise licensing’, he said.

He reported strong growth in subscriptions and advertising revenues at ESPN, its international television sports network.

Earnings showed a better-than-expected recovery from the same period last year when the results were dented by a heavy write-off against scrapped film development projects.

Since then the group has announced a reduction of up to half in its annual output of feature films.

The broadcasting business, based on the troubled ABC network acquired in February last year with the takeover of Capital Cities/ABC, reported a 9 per cent revenue increase with sales of $1.5bn and operating income 18 per cent higher at $238m.

The results were helped by cuts in programme amortisation and acquisition costs, partly offset by lower ratings for the ABC network, and improved results from cable, including ESPN and the Disney Channel.

Star performer was the creative content division, embracing films, merchandise and retailing, where operating income surged 56 per cent to $390m on revenues up 9 per cent at $2.8bn.

Feature films The English Patient, released by Disney’s Miramax company, Ransom and 101 Dalmatians contributed to the result, along with international home video releases of Toy Story and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Operating income at the theme parks, bolstered by a 25th anniversary promotion for Walt Disney World in Florida, rose 17 per cent in the period to the end of March, while revenues increased 14 per cent to $1.2bn.

The results, presented on a pro forma basis to remove distortions caused by the Capital Cities purchase, brought net income for the first half to $1bn. Operating income for the six months was 24 per cent higher at $2.3bn and earnings per share improved 32 per cent to $1.46. (Financial Times).

theme park - an amusement park sometimes based on a single subject

Vocabulary

Short words save space, and so they are very common in headlines. Some of the short words in headlines are unusual in ordinary language (e.g. curb, meaning 'restrict' or 'restriction'), and some are used in special senses which they do not often have in ordinary language (e.g. bid, meaning 'attempt'). Other words are chosen not because they are short, but because they sound dramatic (e.g. blaze, which means 'big fire', and is used in headlines to refer to any fire). The following is a list of common headline vocabulary.

^{act take action; do something}

FOOD CRISIS: GOVERNMENT TO ACT

aid military or financial help; to help

MORE AID FOR POOR COUNTRIES UNIO'NS AID HOSPITAL STRIKERS

alert alarm, warning

FLOOD ALERT ON EAST COAST

^{allege make an accusation}

WOMAN ALLEGES UNFAIR TREATMENT

appear appear in court accused of a crime

MP TO APPEAR ON DRUGS CHARGES

axe abolish, close down; abolition, closure

COUNTRY BUS SERVICES AXED SMALL SCHOOLS FACE AXE

BA British Airways

BA MAKES RECORD LOSS

back support

AMERICA BACKS BRITISH PEACE MOVE

ban forbid, refuse to allow something; prohibition

US BANS STEEL IMPORTS NEW BAN ON DEMONSTRATIONS

bar refuse/refusal to allow entry

HOTEL BARS FOOTBALL FANS NEW BAR ON IMMIGRANTS

bid attempt

JAPANESE WOMEN IN NEW EVEREST BID

blast explosion; criticise violently

BLAST AT PALACE PM BLASTS CRITICS

blaze fire

SIX DIE IN HOTEL BLAZE

block stop, delay

TORIES BLOCK TEACHERS' PAY DEAL

blow bad news; discouragement; unfortunate happening SMITH ILL: BLOW TO WORLD CUP HOPES

bolster give support/encouragement to

EXPORT FIGURES BOLSTER CITY CONFIDENCE

bond political/business association

NEW TRADE BONDS WITH ICELAND

boom big increase; prosperous period

SPENDING BOOM OVER, SAYS MINISTER

boost encourage(ment); to increase; an increase

PLAN TO BOOST EXPORTS

brink edge (of disaster)

WORLD ON BRINK OF WAR

Brussels the European Community parliament and administration

BRUSSELS BANS BRITISH BLACKBERRY WINE

call (for) demand/appeal (for)

CALL FOR STRIKE TALKS

HOSPITAL ROW: MP CALLS FOR ENQUIRY

campaign organised effort to achieve social or political result

MP LA UNCHES CAMPAIGN FOR PRISON REFORM

cash money

MORE CASH NEEDED FOR SCHOOLS

charge accusation (by police)

THREE MEN HELD ON BOMB CHARGE

chop abolition, closure