Meanwhile, profits for both the records and magazine groups rose significantly.

The wave swept away hundreds of jobs, at virtually all levels, in the magazine group alone.

And the magazine group, which had shown only a small operating profit a year earlier, made $5 million in the fourth quarter of 1996.

In the company's magazine group, the operating profit grew to $5.8 million from $5.6 million.

The story took on a new dimension when he became an art director for a magazine group and met his wife, who is white.

The company's magazine group showed an operating profit of $2.5 million, down 59.7 percent from last year.

Ms. Robinson, 46, had previously been senior vice president for sales and marketing of the company's women's magazine group, which was sold in 1994.

And the largest magazine groups all have an international division doing just that.

The Times said its magazine group, as expected, had a lower operating profit.

Profits at the magazine group were $59 million, up 64 percent from $36 million a year ago.