20/20 Research, Inc., Nashville, Tenn., has opened a focus group facility in Charlotte, N.C.

L.C. Williams & Associates, a Chicago public relations firm, has introduced Stratmap, a research/analysis program that paints a visual snapshot of multi-audience data.

Alternative Research Technologies, Inc., a Chicago firm founded by former VMI Communication and Learning Systems employee Randy Ries, has opened its doors and is offering VMI's PEAC System for market research and data collection. Following the August 1998 closing of VMI's Chicago office and its market research and copy testing division, Ries reorganized and is the exclusive U.S. supplier of the technology.

A new marketing research technology training program in New York City has graduated its first students. The program trains students at Baruch College in New York in marketing research questionnaire specification writing. The program is administered by the college through an arrangement with San Francisco-based survey software company Computers for Marketing Corp. (CfMC). The School for Spec Writers has been established to address the demand for trained questionnaire spec writers. The two graduates, trained by CfMC's Denise D' Andrea, are now ready for interviews by users of CfMC's SURVENT CATI system. The school consists of an intensive week-long training program conducted at Baruch, where SURVENT is used in the School of Public Affairs survey center. The college will offer the training program on an ongoing basis to students in its marketing research department.

San Diego Surveys, Inc., San Diego, Calif., has opened a new regional mall office, "The Opinion Center." The office is located in the Chula Vista Center, which features four major department stores as anchors. The facility offers bilingual Hispanic services and houses three computer interviewing stations, a full kitchen, and display area for store simulation.

National Decision Systems has expanded its existing marketing partnership with Qualitative Marketing Software. The two companies have agreed to install hypertext links between their respective Web sites.

VentureDirect Worldwide, a New York direct marketing and media company, has selected @plan to provide market research data for its online media planning and buying division. @plan collects and analyzes data on active Internet users polled by the Gallup Organization to determine demographic information, brand and product preferences, and Web browsing habits from U.S. adults.

DataStar, Inc., a Waltham, Mass., research firm, has updated its Web site at www.surveystar.com.

Burke Customer Satisfaction Associates (Burke CSA), Cincinnati, has opened an office in Charlotte, N.C., its second in the Southeast U.S. Dan Evarrs, a senior consultant with Burke CSA, heads the office, which is located at 304 W. 10th St., Charlotte, N.C.

Focus Market Research, Minneapolis, has opened a new qualitative facility featuring three qualitative suites in the Meridian Crossing building. Each suite has a client guest office with seating for 14 clients. The building is centrally located near the airport with covered parking and easy access. The firm's Edina, Minn., location will remain open.

Opinion Research Corporation, Princeton, N.J., announced its agreement to acquire Macro International Inc., a research, consulting and technology company based in the Washington, D.C. area. The completion of the transaction, which is conditioned upon the signing of a definitive agreement, is expected during the first quarter of 1999. Upon completion of this transaction, the two firms will form a global marketing services company, with annual revenues in excess of $135 million worldwide.

In other news, Opinion Research reported revenues of $73.2 million, reflecting a growth of 29 percent over 1997 reported revenues of $56.7 million. Fourth quarter 1998 revenues were up 17 percent, to $18.3 million, from $15.6 million reported in the fourth quarter of 1997. As a result of a previously announced separation agreement with the company's chairman and CEO, the firm incurred an unusual charge in the fourth quarter of $2.5 million. Before the unusual charge and an extraordinary loss on debt restructuring, net earnings for the year would have been $1,551,000, as compared to $1,151,000 in 1997, and diluted earnings per share would have been $0.36 as compared to $0.28 in 1997. Due to the unusual charge, the Company reported a net loss for the quarter of $1 ,307,000 and for the year of $170,000, as compared to net earnings of $399,000 and $1,151,000 in 1997, respectively. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter and year were reported as ($0.31) and ($0.04), respectively.

The M/A/R/C Group, an Irving, Texas, market intelligence firm, announced net income of $104,000, or $0.02 per share on a diluted basis, for the 12-month period ended December 31, 1998, compared with $6,075,000, or $1.21 per share, for the comparable period last year. Revenues in 1998 were $88,911,000, compared with $96,709,000 last year. For the fourth quarter, the company reported a net loss of $513,000, or ($0.10) per share, compared with net income of $1,211,000, or $0.24 per share last year. Revenues for the fourth quarter were $21,270,000 this year, compared with $24,259,000 last year. The company's performance in the fourth quarter reflected losses in its M/A/R/C Research division driven by lower than expected revenues and increased operating expenses in the Company's Targetbase Marketing business.

Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, announced breakeven results for the fourth quarter 1998 compared to net earnings of $3.5 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 1997. For the year ended December 31, 1998, net earnings were $3.8 million or $0.13 per diluted share compared to $7.7 million or $0.26 per diluted share in 1997. For the quarter ended December 31, 1998, consolidated revenues were $137.4 million, an increase of 13 percent over the fourth quarter of 1997. Revenues from the company's U.S. businesses were $104.9 million, 9 percent higher than the corresponding 1997 quarter.

NameQuest, Inc., a Carefree, Ariz., name testing and development firm, has recent]y developed a new Web site at www.namequestusa.com.

STATISTICA, data analysis and graphing software from StatSoft, Inc., Tulsa, Okla., has been chosen as a standard statistical analysis software package to be used throughout the research & development community at BASF Corporation. The company will be using STATISTICA for design of experiments, statistical process control and various data analyses.

A new research firm, Street Smart Research, has opened at 7055 Riverside Dr., Atlanta, Ga. The firm focuses on bringing account planning skills to marketers or ad agencies.

Essman/Associates, Inc., a Des Moines, Iowa, marketing communications firm, has expanded its marketing research services by forming a new division, Essman/Research, which will be directed by Deborah Stearns.

Scotts Valley, Calif.-based OnRadio, an Internet radio network, will participate in the streaming media alliance of Arbitron NewMedia. Participating companies will cooperate with Arbitron in its effort to develop audience measurement services for broadcasters and other content providers that stream
live audio and video content over the Internet. In other news Arbitron is considering a change in the way it reports simulcast radio stations and is seeking client comment on the change. The full text of the proposed policy is available at www.arbitron.com. The company is asking its subscribers to comment on the proposal by sending an e-mail to simulcast@arbitron.com. Clients are asked to include their name, title, station or agency and phone number in the text of their comments.

Thomson Financial Services has acquired SiX, a research and analytical subsidiary of Sedgwick Group pic, the U.K.-based insurance brokerage group. SiX collects financial data on approximately 4,000 insurance entities worldwide, and provides data and analytical services to participants in the insurance industry. SiX operations will be moved to TFS' European headquarters based in London. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.