Paramount to Take Charge: Paramount Communications Inc.,...

Paramount to Take Charge: Paramount Communications Inc., which failed in its bid for Time Inc. last summer, said it will take a $140-million fourth-quarter pretax charge on its publishing operations, which include Simon & Schuster, Prentice Hall and Pocket Books. The charge reflects a writedown in the value of some publishing assets and accruals for costs associated with improving publishing technology. Despite the charge, the company’s overall results are expected to be sharply higher because of a previously announced a $1.2-billion after-tax gain on the sale of its consumer and commercial finance business.