MONEYLINE NEWS HOUR, the premier financial news show and the flagship business program of the CNN News Group, is heading west with the launch of an unprecedented bicoastal business news format. Positioned on the frontlines of the fastest growing sectorsætechnology, the Internet and biotechnologyæWillow Bay will anchor from the capital of the new economy, California, while Stuart Varney remains at the helm in the world's financial capital, New York. Bay kicks off the bicoastal MONEYLINE with "MONEYLINE Goes West," a four-day West Coast road trip. Bay will anchor from the Pacific coast's business hot spots-Irvine, Calif.; Silicon Valley; and Beaverton, Ore.-where she will take an in-depth look at some of the most exciting, trailblazing companies of the new economy. Bicoastal MONEYLINE premieres Tuesday, Sept. 5, 6:30 p.m. (ET), on CNN/U.S, CNNfn, CNN Airport Network and CNN International, which is seen in 212 countries and territories worldwide.

"'MONEYLINE Goes West,' is a perfect example of what a bicoastal MONEYLINE will deliver to viewers. Willow and the MONEYLINE producers will be inside the new economy companies that are driving the markets and face-to-face with their executives," said Shelby Coffey III, president of CNN Business News and CNNfn. "The additional exposure to these industries, combined with the unmatched talent of our seasoned business news veteran, Stuart Varney, at the desk in New York, will provide our audience with the most comprehensive business news coverage on television."

"MONEYLINE Goes West"

Bay will go behind the scenes for an exclusive look at companies that are thriving in the new economy and will interview top executives live on MONEYLINE. The "MONEYLINE Goes West" road trip will air Sept. 5 through Sept. 8 from the following stops:

• Tuesday, Sept. 5, Irvine, Calif.: BROADCOM is a chip company with a hot stock and a traditional approach to business. The maker of chips for everything from high-speed office networks to cable boxes was co-founded by Henry T. Nicholas III, a chief executive who shuns Silicon Valley's casual style. Bay examines whether the approach is effective.

• Wednesday, Sept. 6, San Jose, Calif.: JDS UNIPHASE, a fiber-optic company, has exploded onto the scene with one of the most impressive stock performances of the year. CEO Jozef Straus is now attempting the biggest technology merger ever with a $41 billion takeover of SDL, one of the Nasdaq's best performing stocks, up 1,000 percent in one year. Bay questions whether Wall Street may have bid these stocks up too high.

• Thursday, Sept. 7, Santa Clara, Calif.: EXODUS is in the critical business of Web-hosting and protecting servers for Internet companies, housing some of them in bomb-proof, flood-proof and fire-proof shelters in secret locations around the world. And, in a field dominated by young men, Exodus' CEO is Ellen M. Hancock, who at nearly 60 is one of the few female chief executives in Silicon Valley.

• Friday, Sept. 8, Beaverton, Ore.: NIKE is a pioneering company reinventing itself. In a rare live interview with CEO and co-founder Phil Knight from Nike headquarters, Bay will ask about the changes at the company, its hot stock (up 75 percent since March), Michael Jordan's new role and Nike's new staræTiger Woods.

Additional Changes at MONEYLINE

In addition to the bicoastal anchors, MONEYLINE will make several changes to the program to benefit viewers. New elements will include:

• Enhanced Market Coverage with Terry KeenanæOne of the most respected and experienced business news journalists, Keenan returns to MONEYLINE as the senior Wall Street correspondent. Going behind the numbers to reveal market factors as only she can, Keenan will report live from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) daily to offer her unique insight on the day's movers and give the latest news from the Big Board.

• After-Hour Reports -- Increased after-hour reports with live analysis of the after-hour trading activity and up-to-date stock prices.

• Stock Ticker -- For the first time in MONEYLINE's 20-year history, a stock ticker will be added to the program with state-of-the-art technology featuring stock prices from the NYSE, Nasdaq and the American Stock Exchange.

• "Workplace 2000" -- A new series on MONEYLINE will uncover emerging trends in the workplace and examine why, during one of the best job markets in decades, Americans are working longer, harder and into their later years.

• Silicon Valley Unit -- To maximize MONEYLINE's coverage of the new economy, a new production unit will be added, based in the heart of the new economy, Silicon Valley.

Katherine O'Hearn, the recently named executive vice president of CNN Business News, is the executive in charge of production for MONEYLINE. Jenny Harris is the executive producer.

MONEYLINE, the premier business news program, keeps pace with the complex and changing world of business and finance. Co-anchored by Willow Bay and Stuart Varney, with a team of financial journalists, MONEYLINE provides a nightly roundup of the day's business, economic and financial news with details of major market performances, analysis of market trends and coverage of the day's news events as they relate to business. MONEYLINE airs each weekday on CNN/U.S. and CNNfn from 6:30-7:30 p.m. (ET) and replays a 30-minute edition at 11:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. (ET) on CNN/U.S.