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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): December 22, 2000
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware 1-7564 13-5034940
(State or other jurisdiction (Commission File Number) (I.R.S. Employer
of incorporation) Identification No.)
200 Liberty Street, New York, New York 10281
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (212) 416-2000
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Item 5. Other Events and Regulation FD Disclosure.
Bridge Information Systems, Inc. ("Bridge") has informed Dow Jones that
Telerate (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridge) may be late in paying the
next quarterly installment of the current annual minimum payment due for data
acquired from Cantor Fitzgerald Securities and Market Data Corporation ("MDC")
because of Bridge's continued operating difficulties.
MDC has advised Dow Jones that, if Telerate fails to make such payment when
due, MDC will seek to recover such payment from Dow Jones under a guarantee
contained in contracts entered into during the period that Telerate was a
subsidiary of Dow Jones. Dow Jones understands that the quarterly payment in
question amounts to approximately $12 million and is due on February 15, 2001.
(As described in prior Dow Jones filings, the annual minimum payments subject
to such guarantee average approximately $50 million per year through October
2006. Bridge has agreed to indemnify Dow Jones if the company is required to
make any payments under the guarantee.)
Bridge has advised Dow Jones that it is continuing its efforts to renegotiate
its financial arrangements with its lenders and to raise additional capital.
Those efforts are ongoing and have not reached conclusion. It is not possible
for Dow Jones to predict whether such efforts will be successful, and it is
therefore uncertain whether or to what extent Dow Jones might be called upon to
perform under the guarantee. It is also uncertain whether or to what extent
Bridge will perform its agreement to indemnify Dow Jones if the company is
required to make any payments under the guarantee.
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC.
Dated: December 22, 2000 By: /s/ Christopher W. Vieth
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Christopher W. Vieth
Comptroller
(Chief Accounting Officer)
