21.   But many casino operators said they hoped that if the bigger casinos lured more tourists for longer visits, every casino would benefit.

22.   But many day-care operators said hiring more people would make their centers unaffordable to many families.

23.   But nursing home operators say they cannot increase the quality of care if the government is unwilling to pay for it.

24.   But rural cable operators say the long-term consequences of consolidation will create a landscape where smaller players will be squeezed out and viewers are left with fewer choices.

25.   But sometimes cable operators say they can do little more than sit back and watch.

26.   But operators also say much of the criticism is unfair.

27.   But the biggest problem, operators say, is that the police care more about extorting payments than enforcing traffic laws.

28.   But the cable operators said that federal law prohibited the city from placing commercial programming on city-run stations, even if the commercials themselves were removed.

29.   But when they arrived, hotel operators said the nearest rooms available were in Alabama.

30.   Callers do get personal, the operators say.