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Newsclips 1991 - 1996 |
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819 words
2 April 1993
The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Del. AP -
RJR Nabisco Inc. pledged to improve cigarette sales despite pleas from some
shareholders, including the grandson of founder R.J. Reynolds, that the
company become a leader in the anti-smoking campaign.
The differences emerged
at the tobacco and food conglomerate's annual meeting here on Friday.
Five anti-smoking
shareholders, including Patrick Reynolds, failed in a bid for seats on
the board of directors.
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THERESA HUMPHREY
623 words
2 April 1993
The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Del. AP -
RJR Nabisco Inc. pledged Friday to improve cigarette sales despite pleas from
some shareholders, including the grandson of founder R.J. Reynolds, that
the company become a leader in the anti-smoking campaign.
The differences emerged
at the tobacco and food conglomerate's annual meeting here.
Five anti-smoking
shareholders, including Patrick Reynolds, failed in a bid for seats on
the board of directors.
Some of the dissidents
targeted the company's popular Camel brand for particular criticism and the
cartoon character "Old Joe" Camel, which they said targets cigarettes
toward young people.
Nonetheless, Karl von
der Heyden, co-chairman and chief executive, told shareholders that, despite
declining sales in the United States, the company's overall tobacco
sales have grown 27 percent over the past two years.
Von der Heyden said the
increase was due to expansions into new international markets and growth in
established businesses in western Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America.
"We're committed
to making the most of every new strategic opportunity that arises in the
international market," von der Heyden said. "But we're also
continuing to build our core, global business around our key brands - Winston,
Camel and Salem, which provide the lion's share of sales and profits in this
business."
Camels were the focus
of complaints from the shareholders who wanted the company to participate in
the anti-smoking campaign.
"If my grandfather
saw the Joe Camel campaign, I truly believe he would be shocked, dismayed and
saddened," Reynolds said.
Reynolds urged the
company "moral leaders in the tobacco industry" and push for a
ban on all cigarette advertising.
And he suggested the
company send him on a tour to colleges and public schools to talk to youths
about smoking.
Others decried the Joe
Camel advertisements for allegedly targeting young people, but co-chairman
Lawrence Ricciardi assured shareholders the company does not condone underage smoking.
"The company
actually discourages underage smoking. We do not want underage people smoking
anywhere in the world," Ricciardi said.
The annual meeting came
a week after RJR chief Louis V. Gerstner Jr. left the company to take the helm
at International Business Machines Inc. RJR's board then took the unusual step
of naming co-chief executives - von der Heyden, who was chief financial
officer, and Ricciardi, RJR's general counsel and executive vice president.
Ricciardi assured
shareholders "we haven't skipped a beat at RJR Nabisco" since
Gerstner's departure. He also noted Gerstner remains a member of the board, although
he was absent from the meeting. In addition, shareholders approved an expansion
of the board from 15 to 16 members to include Ricciardi.
In its domestic tobacco
business, von der Heyden said R.J. Reynolds is coming off a decade of decline
in volume and market share, especially for top full-priced cigarettes. Factors
contributing to the decline were the possibility of new federal cigarette taxes
and a shift by consumers from full-price brands to lower-priced brands,
including generics, he said.
There has been rapid
growth for the lowest-priced cigarettes and "our performance in that tier
will be an important part of our overall share of retail position," von
der Heyden said.
On Nabisco Foods, von
der Heyden said 1992 was an ambitious year for new products. He said two new
lines of reduced-fat snacks are aimed at "aging Baby Boomers" who
make up one of the fastest-growing market segments.
The new snacks, Mr.
Phipps Tater Crisps and SnackWell's, have generated more than $100 million in
sales since their introduction in August.
"They're a
terrific new source of business for us," von der Heyden said.
Document
asp0000020011031dp4200hgj
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BUSINESS
Theresa Humphrey
Associated Press
356 words
3 April 1993
Los Angeles Daily News
Valley
B3
RJR Nabisco Inc.
pledged Friday to improve cigarette sales despite pleas from some shareholders,
including the grandson of founder R.J. Reynolds, that the company become
a leader in the anti-smoking campaign.
The differences emerged
at the tobacco and food conglomerate's annual meeting here.
Five anti-smoking
shareholders, including Patrick Reynolds, failed in a bid for seats on
the board of directors.
Some of the dissidents
targeted the company's popular Camel brand for particular criticism and the
cartoon character "Old Joe" Camel, which they said influences young
people to smoke.
Nonetheless, Karl von
der Heyden, co-chairman and chief executive, told shareholders that, despite
declining sales in the United States, the company's overall tobacco
sales have grown 27 percent over the past two years.
Von der Heyden said the
increase was due to expansions into new international markets and growth in
established businesses in Western Europe, Asia, Canada and Latin America.
"We're committed
to making the most of every new strategic opportunity that arises in the international
market," von der Heyden said. "But we're also continuing to build our
core, global business around our key brands - Winston, Camel and Salem, which
provide the lion's share of sales and profits in this business."
Camels were the focus
of complaints from the shareholders who wanted the company to participate in
the anti-smoking campaign.
"If my grandfather
saw the Joe Camel campaign, I truly believe he would be shocked, dismayed and
saddened," Reynolds said.
Reynolds urged the
company to be "moral leaders in the tobacco industry" and push
for a ban on cigarette advertising.
And he suggested the
company send him on a tour to colleges and public schools to talk to youths
about smoking.
Others decried the Joe
Camel advertisements for allegedly focusing on young people, but co-chairman
Lawrence Ricciardi assured shareholders the company does not condone underage smoking.
"The company
actually discourages underage smoking. We do not want underage people smoking
anywhere in the world," Ricciardi said.
Main story: Philip
Morris to boost Marlboro.
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MONEY
3 April 1993
The New Orleans Times-Picayune
THIRD
C1
WILMINGTON, Del. - The grandson
of R.J. Reynolds on Friday urged RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp. to kill off
"Old Joe Camel," the cigarette ad gimmick that critics say targets
children and teen-agers. Patrick Reynolds said that, were his
grandfather alive today, "I sincerely believe that he would be shocked and
dismayed and saddened" at the ad campaign.
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BUSINESS
The Associated Press
214 words
3 April 1993
The Record, Northern New Jersey
All Editions.=.Two Star B. Two Star P. One Star
a08
RJR Nabisco Holdings
Corp. pledged Friday to improve cigarette sales despite pleas from some
shareholders, including the grandson of founder R.J. Reynolds, that the
company become a leader in the anti-smoking campaign.
The differences emerged
at the tobacco and food conglomerate's annual meeting here.
Five anti-smoking
shareholders, including Patrick Reynolds, failed in their bid for seats
on the board of directors.
"If my grandfather
saw the Joe Camel campaign, I truly believe he would be shocked, dismayed, and
saddened," Reynolds said.
Some of the dissidents
singled out the company's popular Camel brand for particular criticism. They
said the cartoon character "Old Joe" Camel targets young people.
Nonetheless, Karl von
der Heyden, co-chairman and chief executive, told shareholders that, despite
declining sales in the United States, the company's overall tobacco
sales have grown 27 percent during the past two years.
The annual meeting came
a week after RJR chief Louis V. Gerstner Jr. left the company to take the helm
at International Business Machines Corp. RJR's board then took the unusual step
of naming co-chief executives _ Von der Heyden, who was chief financial
officer, and Lawrence Ricciardi, RJR's general counsel and executive vice
president.
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rec0000020011101dp4300gsi
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BUSINESS
1993, Bloomberg
Business News
366 words
3 April 1993
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
FIVE STAR
08C
The top tobacco
executive at RJR Nabisco Holdings Corp. predicted "full-scale war"
Friday after his archrival, Philip Morris Cos. Inc., said it would cut
cigarette prices.
James W. Johnston,
chairman and chief executive of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., RJR Nabisco's
tobacco unit, made the remark to a colleague after his company's annual
meeting.
Speaking in earshot of
reporters, Johnston said, "You hear about Philip Morris? It's full-scale war.
You'll be hearing more about it."
Philip Morris announced
it will cut the price of its Marlboro cigarettes to halt erosion of the
flagship brand's market share to discounted brands. Philip Morris said it will
expand an existing Marlboro promotion, increase distibution of its discount
brands, and avoid further price increases on premium brands for now.
The Philip Morris news
upstaged anything RJR officials had to say about their company at their
shareholders meeting.
Anti-smoking activists at the meeting
accounted for almost all the comments from the floor, led by Patrick
Reynolds, grandson of R.J. Reynolds.
Reynolds told RJR
officials they should "take the moral lead" and hire a lobbyist who
would press Congress to enact a ban on cigarette advertising.
Reynolds said he was
taking a "conciliatory approach," recognizing that he couldn't hope
to end smoking in the country or persuade one tobacco company to
stop advertising if competitors continued. He suggested, though, that a total
advertising ban would provide a level playing field for tobacco
companies while eliminating media images that influence the young to smoke.
An eerie silence fell
over the audience as anti-smoking board candidate David Bresnick, a
laryngectomy patient, criticized RJR for using the cartoon character Joe Camel,
which critics have said targets young smokers.
Bresnick held a
microphone to his neck, and the buzzing, mechanically reproduced monotone
reverberated in the high recesses of the rococo Gold Ballroom.
"I don't want this to happen to anyone else," Bresnick said. "I am amazed and appalled at the recognition by the young of Joe Camel. What is wrong with you that you can't admit what everybody knows is harmful?"
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PART-A; Metro Desk
JAMES RAINEY; RICHARD
SIMON
TIMES STAFF WRITERS
1,383 words
3 August 1993
Los Angeles Times
Home
1
The Times Mirror Company; Los Angeles Times 1993
Los Angeles'
long-contested ban on smoking in restaurants suddenly went into effect
Monday, when the city clerk's office declared that a coalition of restaurant
owners had failed in a petition drive to put the issue before voters.
While nonsmokers
declared victory and the city attorney's office said it would begin enforcing
the ban immediately, opponents vowed to go to court to seek an order allowing
smokers to continue lighting up in the city's nearly 7,000 enclosed eateries.
The petitions were
invalidated because many of those signing or circulating them were found not to
be registered Los Angeles city voters.