& #8226; Univision Communications Inc.
agreed to purchase two of Santa Monica-based
Entravision Communications Corp.
‘s radio stations KBRG-FM and KLOK-AM serving the San Francisco/San Jose market for $90 million. L.A.-based Univision said the deal will help the company appeal to a growing Hispanic market in that area.
Entravision said it will pay for the acquisition with shares of company stock held by Univision. The purchase also allows Univision to begin reducing its stake in Entravision, a commitment the company made in an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in 2003 as part of its purchase of Hispanic Broadcasting Corp. Univision agreed to reduce its ownership to 15 percent by March 2006. The acquisition is expected to reduce Univision’s stake in Entravision to around 20 percent, representing the first step it has taken to meet the requirement. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2006.
& #8226; Ventura Foods LLC
said it plans to buy two businesses from Dallas-based Dean Foods Co. Brea-based Ventura Foods will acquire the Marie’s dressings and Dean’s dips units in a deal worth an estimated $200 million. The agreement calls for a long-term licensing deal that lets Ventura Foods use the Dean Food’s trademark on its dips. The deal still needs regulatory approval. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
Ventura Foods’ Chief Executive Rick Mazer said the buy will boost his company’s line of branded foods for the retail market. The company makes shortenings, cooking oils, mayonnaise, dressings, sauces and other foods. Hidden Valley salad dressing is one of Ventura Foods’ top sellers.
& #8226; Northrop Grumman Corp.
was awarded a contract worth $22.9 million to oversee network and systems security for the U.S. Department of State. Northrop’s Information Technology sector will audit the State Department’s network domains for security vulnerabilities and then provide recommendations to improve the system. Work on the contract will be performed at government and Northrop sites in Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Va.
