it's kind of like a cult. >> reporter: diane eastabrook, "nightly business report," skokie, illinois. >> suzanne: that's "nightly business report" for friday, september 17. i'm suzanne pratt. good night everyone, and have a good weekend. you too, tom! >> tom: good night suzanne. i'm tom hudson. good night everyone. we hope to see all of you again monday night. "nightly business report" is made possible by: this program was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> more information about investing is available in "nightly business report's" videos. to order this dvd, call 1-800- play-pbs or visit online at shoppbs.org. >> be more. pbs.

but as diane eastabrook reports, the industry is now flying into a more uncertain season. >> reporter: the u.s. airline industry has climbed out of one of the deepest economic holes in its history. last year, revenues dropped nearly 17%. but in the second quarter of this year, they rebounded in double digits for all of the legacy carriers. experts say capacity cuts that airlines made over the last couple of years eliminated many cheap seats, and that put a floor under fares. another factor-- corporate america has been letting more executives fly business class. a positive sign noted by scott gibson, who follows the airline industry for the consulting firm s.h.&e. >> what we have seen is a loosening from that draconian policy, particularly in a world where wall street was starting to say, "i'm not paying these people the bonus levels that i was," and that is really a year- ago type thing. they would relax some of the travel rules a little bit. >> reporter: still, the next few months could be turbulent for the airline industry. the fall is typically a slow season for the airlines, and t

and as diane eastabrook reports, a summer staple for many rural communities is also on the ropes. >> reporter: in the midwest, county fairs are a part of the culture. but in illinois, fairs like this one in kankakee county could disappear from the landscape. the state is wrestling with a $13 billion deficit. so, in the current budget year-- which started july 1-- illinois cut by a third the premiums, or the money it pays county fairs for prizes. that put kankakee county in a bind. plans for its august event had been set for months. so, fair president pete schafer faced a big budget hole and little time to fill it. >> you raise your entry fees and lose out on some of the people because they feel the entry fees are too high. you lower your premiums, you lose your entries that way. or, you just eat it and try to make it up some place else. >> reporter: the money illinois provides county fairs has been dwindling over the past few years. but this year, the cuts went deeper and reached beyond the fairgrounds. >> 4h is a huge part of rural life and county fairs like this one. and it, too, i

i love coming to work every day. >> reporter: diane eastabrook, "nightly business report," chicago. >> susie: that's "nightly business report" for friday, september 3. i'm susie gharib. have a great weekend. happy labor day, tom. >> tom: you too, susie. i'm tom hudson. we hope to see all of you again next week. "nightly business report" is made possible by: this program was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh

diane eastabrook talked to companies at a manufacturing trade show in chicago today. many executives told her they're having trouble finding skilled workers. >> reporter: you wouldn't find this on your father's factory floor-- a robotic arm that not only retrieves parts, but can recognize one piece from another. at the international manufacturing technology show in chicago this week, 1,200 firms from 80 countries are showing how new machines are making factories cleaner, more efficient, and more productive. "it's revolutionary," says show vice president peter eelman. >> it is evolution that requires a constant paying attention and constant re-education. >> reporter: and that presents a dilemma for many manufacturers. while the u.s. has shed more than five and half million factory jobs in the last decade, the government says there are now more than 200,000 job openings at plants around the country. mark tomlinson from the society of manufacturing engineers says a lot of factories can't fill those jobs with laid-off workers because those workers don't have the right ski

i got to tell you, coming back here is like coming home. >> reporter: diane eastabrook, "nightly business report," oak park, illinois. >> tom: that's "nightly business report" for labor day, monday, september 6. i'm tom hudson. good night, everyone, and good night to you, too, susie. >> susie: good night, tom. i'm susie gharib. good night, everyone. we hope to see all of you again tomorrow night. "nightly business report" is made possible by: this program was made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by wpbt captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> more information about investing is available in "nightly business report's" video "how wall street works". to order this dvd, call 1-800- play-pbs or visit online at shoppbs.org. >> be more. pbs. doctor mights you can. thank yo. >> what's happened? >> i've called a>> dr. harvey t. >> what's happened? >> i've called a>> dr. harvey t. well, he was.