Southwestern Bell Corp.: The St. Louis-based telecommunications...

Southwestern Bell Corp.: The St. Louis-based telecommunications company’s third-quarter net income fell 9% from a year ago to $295.3 million. Revenue totaled $2.2 billion, down slightly from last year. The results were attributed to a franchise tax refund Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. received last year; the shift in production of several Yellow Pages directories from the third to the fourth quarters; a one-time adjustment to the telephone company’s revenue, and a rate refund for Missouri customers as part of an agreement between state regulators and the telephone company. The factors came despite growth in the telephone company’s customer access lines.