The third episode in Microsoft Corporation's "America at Work" television series will air at the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNLV at 9 a.m. May 16. The one-hour program focuses on "Doing Business on the Internet."

According to a recent MCI-Gallup Poll, by the end of 1996, 42 percent of U.S. small businesses will be connected to the World Wide Web. Of those, half will have their own Web sites or home pages. In all, close to three million small businesses will use the Internet to some degree in 1996, according to a 1995 study conducted by GIGA Information, a Cambridge, Mass., research firm.

"America at Work: Doing Business on the Internet," which was produced in conjunction with the Association of Small Business Development Centers, features four small companies whose representations tell in their own words how the Internet is helping them reach new customers and expand their businesses. Companies profiled include a family-run jewelry business based in St. George, Utah; a Washington, D.C.-based researcher; and a digital stock photography business in Seattle. Previous episodes of "America at Work" aired at more than 300 SmallBusiness Development Centers and community colleges nationwide.

The "America at Work" series is part of Microsoft's overall program to help small businesses make decisions about using technology to run their businesses. More information on future shows can be obtained by calling Microsoft's small business customer hotline number at (800) 607-6872. The series continues monthly with these future topics:

* In June, "Virtual Offices and Alternative Workplaces."
* In July, "Customer, Inventory and Employee Tracking."
* In August, "Information Sharing Made Easy."

For additional information, call Kaye Schwer at the Nevada Small Business Development Center at UNLV at 895-0852.