Mr. Lebow said the announcement urging riders to stock up was prompted by the anticipated problems in the switch to a price that will require several coins.

Conductors make announcements urging passengers to "use soft tones and go to the vestibule to make calls."

Michael Clendenin, a spokesman for Con Edison, said he believed that a series of announcements urging conservation was having an effect.

Television and radio stations broadcast regular announcements urging Panamanians to prepare to join a pro-Government rally scheduled for Thursday.

It also repeated previous announcements urging American citizens not to visit either city.

The city Department of Transportation says traffic has declined enough to make the public announcements urging motorists to stay out of Manhattan unnecessary.

And there were announcements urging riders to report suspicious packages.

Those measures, which have been in effect all week, include announcements urging out-of-state players to go farther into the state to buy tickets.

A further solo concert three days later went undisturbed, following an official announcement beforehand urging the audience to minimize extraneous noise.

On election day, police squad cars in the Shiite-dominated port city of Basra drove around blaring announcements urging voters to support the religious Shiites.