NNTP error in Outlook Express

What settings, or lack of, would cause the following error message in Outlook Express..........

"Your NNTP server has not responded in 60 seconds.  Would you like to wait another 60 seconds for it to respond? "

I would occasionally get this error with MSN and now with Earthlink, different machines.  I can't seem to find any setting, other than the name of the news server it is trying to connect with that might bring up this error.  The server name has been re-entered and double checked.

Any help would be most appreciated.

Desmond