11.   But he lost the battle in February, when the government announced that it would seek to combine the companies within two years.

12.   EchoStar said combining the companies should create a stronger competitor for cable TV giants and help speed the rollout of local TV signals on satellite networks.

13.   He said combining two companies of similar in size that compete in many markets is a plus for both.

14.   Horizontal mergers, in industrial lingo, suggest combining companies in similar businesses such as fighter aircraft makers or missile makers to eliminate duplication of programs.

15.   If you combine the newborn and born-again companies, you get a concentration of technology that has kept the Massachusetts economy vibrant and growing.

16.   In terms of producing programs and selling advertising, it makes sense to combine three companies serving complementary regions.

17.   Kaminski likes the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas deal, he said, because it will combine companies that currently do not compete in most areas.

18.   Larry Dickerson, the chief financial officer for Diamond Offshore, said that there would be potential cost savings by combining the companies, but he gave no details.

19.   Most U.S. shareholders sold their stakes soon after the companies were combined.

20.   Most American shareholders sold their stakes soon after the companies were combined.