Usa Today

The nationally circulated newspaper USA Today has lost about $233 million since it was launched by Gannett Co. in September 1982, according to a company statement. Total investment in the newspaper "is less than" the $305 million that Gannett paid for the 323,000-circulation Louisville Courier-Journal in 1986, the company statement said yesterday. The Audit Bureau of Circulations says USA Today has a circulation of about 1.3 million. However, the New York Times reported today that a book about USA Today being prepared with Gannett's cooperation discloses operating losses of $457 million for the paper by the end of 1986.

The top 25 teams in the USA Today college football coaches poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Saturday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec   Pts   Pr 1. Alabama (55) 2-0   1470   1    2. Ohio State (4) 2-0   1410   2    3. Boise State 1-0   1278   3    4. Texas 2-0   1262   4    5. TCU 2-0   1168   5    6. Oregon 2-0   1122   8    7. Florida 2-0   1108   6    8. Nebraska 2-0   1095   7    9. Oklahoma 2-0   1062   10    10. Iowa 2-0   1050   9    11. Wisconsin 2-0   889   11    12. LSU 2-0   740   16    13. Arkansas 2-0   738   15    14. Utah 2-0   625   t20    15. Auburn 2-0   618   t20    16. S. Carolina 2-0   527   25    17. Miami 1-1   417   12    18. Arizona 2-0   410   23    19. Stanford 2-0   338   NR    20. Penn State 1-1   296   14    21. West Virginia 2-0   264   22    22. Michigan 2-0   254   NR    23. Houston 2-0   220   NR    24. California 2-0   131   NR    25. Missouri 2-0   82   NR    ...

Howard Stern is in such a good mood, he got all touchy-feely with Today host Matt Lauer Thursday on live TV, jumping into Matt's lap and gifting him with a big wet smooch. Stern, 58, later said he's dead serious about his new job as a judge on America's Got Talent, which returns Monday. Stern, who reportedly pockets $15 mil a year for the gig, joins Sharon Osbourne and Howie Mandel at the judge's table. "You know I love playing God," Stern told the crowd at a recent New York audition.

SAN FRANCISCO - By all measures, it wasn't a good day for employees of Yahoo or USA Today : Pay was cut, and so were thousands of jobs. And it didn't matter that one was part of the supposedly bright digital future and the other allegedly a part of journalism's past. In his first three months on the job, Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson has imposed the largest layoffs in the company's 17-year history, reshaped the board of directors, picked a potentially disruptive fight with a major shareholder and sued Facebook for patent infringement.

I WASN'T surprised by the latest report from the Commerce Department showing that the U.S. trade deficit, the excess of imports over exports, had jumped in January to the biggest imbalance in over three years. My phone rang in the house the other day when I was outside. By the time I got inside, it had stopped, so I hit the *69 call-back number. A woman with a foreign accent answered and said that she was calling to see when I was going to make a payment on my Macy's bill.

The final top 25 teams in the USA Today-ESPN men's college basketball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, records through Sunday, total points based on 25 points for a first-place vote through one point for a 25th-place vote, and previous ranking: Rec   Pts   Pr 1. Kentucky (30) 32-2   774   1    2. Syracuse 31-2   730   2    3. Missouri (1) 30-4   715   5    4. Michigan St. 27-7   660   8    5. N. Carolina 29-5   652   4    6. Kansas 27-6   586   3    7. Ohio State 27-7   578   7    8. Duke 27-6   557   6    9. Murray State 30-1   502   10    10. Baylor 27-7   481   11    11. Marquette 25-7   452   9    12. Florida State 24-9   442   17    13. Wisconsin 24-9   348   12    14. Michigan 24-9   319   13    15. Georgetown 23-8   307   14    16. St. Mary's 27-5   268   18    17. Indiana 25-8   252   15    18. Louisville 26-9   245   –    19. Wichita St. 27-5   231   16    20. Creighton 28-5   199   22    21. Florida 23-10   189   19    22. New Mexico 27-6   125   –    23. San Diego St. 26-7   99   21    24. ...

The Philadelphia Inquirer has been honored for having one of the nation's top daily sports sections among newspapers in the largest circulation category. The judging was done by a national group of sports editors known as Associated Press Sports Editors. The top 10, in alphabetical order: Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, Denver Post, Kansas City Star, Los Angeles Times, Newark Star-Ledger, New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today.

For the first time this season, Temple's men's team has been voted into the Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll. The 21-5 Owls are ranked 22nd, behind UNLV and ahead of Indiana. The Owls have won 10 consecutive games and are facing an interesting week. They play at La Salle onWednesday and visit Saint Joseph's on Saturday. The Explorers and Hawks, both with 18 victories, know a win over a ranked opponent such as Temple will greatly help their NCAA Tournament resume.

Carson Puriefoy is Bishop Eustace Prep's point guard. Usually, that's a big responsibility. The slick senior has to handle the basketball, control the tempo, and orchestrate the Crusaders' high-powered offense. On Thursday night, the job will involve all that and a lot more. "It's going to be tough, no doubt about it," Puriefoy said. "But I'm ready for it. We're all ready for it. " In perhaps the most anticipated game of the regular season in South Jersey, Bishop Eustace will host national power St. Anthony in front of what likely will be a capacity-plus crowd in the Crusaders' fieldhouse.