JWT Group, parent of the J. Walter...

JWT Group, parent of the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, said it lost $4.9 million in the fourth quarter in contrast to a profit of $8 million a year earlier. Commissions, fees and other revenue for the quarter rose 6%. But JWT said it had a pretax loss of $785,000 in the quarter in contrast with a profit of $15.8 million a year earlier. It blamed the pretax loss on a substantial loss from its Hill & Knowlton public relations firm and sharply lower income from J. Walter Thompson Co.