Small talk: Jets, Dodd, AbitibiBowater
Markeplace staffers Amy Scott, Steve Henn and Stacey Vanek-Smith talk with Rick Gagliano and Brendan Newnam about their favorite under-the-radar business stories this week: bargain private jets, Sen. Dodd's fundraising, and AbitibiBowater's bankruptcy.
On the air radio microphone (iStockPhoto)
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TEXT OF STORY
KAI RYSSDAL: For half an hour every day we work to bring you the really big stories on business and the economy on this program. For the next minute and half though, Rico Gagliano and Brendan Newnam are going to do something completely different: Quiz the Marketplace staff about the week's lesser-known news. The kind of thing you might talk about at a dinner party.
Rico Gagliano: Amy Scott, New York bureau chief, what story are you going to be talking about this weekend?
Amy Scott: Well, Barrons has a story this week about all the bargains out there right now for private jets.
Gagliano: Wow.
Scott: That's right. So whether you want a...
Gagliano: There's a silver lining in every economy, Amy.
Scott: Well, indeed. Right now a used Gulfstream GV is going for like $28 million.
Gagliano: At last. What are they taking in trade on like a 2000 Corolla? It has two air bags.
Brendan Newnam: Steve Henn, senior reporter at Marketplace, what are you going to be talking about this weekend?
Steve Henn: Chris Dodd's fundraising.
Newnam: Boring.
Henn: Yeah, well this is Washington, so low bar.
Newnam: OK.
Henn: Dodd's facing this really tough race this year. He raised like more than a million bucks in the last three months, but only $4,000 from residents of Connecticut. Just five people who he represents actually gave him money. What's amazing to me is the percentage -- $4,000 out of a million -- that's like 99.6 percent of his money. He's like the ivory soap of political fundraising.
Newnam: But not so pure.
Gagliano: Stacey Vanek-Smith, senior reporter at Marketplace, go.
Stacey Vanek-Smith: Well, it's more bad news for the newspaper industry.
Gagliano: And as a journalist, that's just what I want to hear. But, continue.
Vanek-Smith: I know. Happy Friday, Rico! Well, the largest newsprint maker in the world, called AbitibiBowater, just filed for bankruptcy.
Gagliano: Is AbitibiBowater one word?
Vanek-Smith: Yes, it is.
Gagliano: Maybe they went out of business because they used all the newsprint just printing up incredibly long business cards.
Vanek-Smith: That's true! As a conservation measure, they should have shortened their name.
Gagliano: There's a reason why IBM is still in business.
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