News Corp. Bids for UPN.Buoyed by a ruling from the Federal Communications Commission Federal Communications Commission (FCC), independent executive agency of the U.S. government established in 1934 to regulate interstate and foreign communications in the public interest. , News. Corp. officials have confirmed that the company is in advanced discussions to buy all or part of rival network UPN UPN User Principal Name (Microsoft Windows 2000) UPN United Paramount Network UPN Unión del Pueblo Navarro (Navarrese People Union) UPN Umgekehrte Polnische Notation from Viacom Inc. Neither company would discuss details of the negotiations. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., the parent of the Fox television network, is expected to complete a $5.35 billion deal to buy the 10 television stations owned by Chris-Craft Industries Inc., the largest owner of UPN affiliates, in May. News Corp. reportedly hopes to complete its negotiations for either all or part of UPN at that time. News of the talks comes as the Federal Communications Commission has repealed a rule that prevented companies that owned the major networks -- ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. , FOX and NBC NBC in full National Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. commercial broadcasting company. It was formed in 1926 by RCA Corp., General Electric Co. (GE), and Westinghouse and was the first U.S. company to operate a broadcast network. -- from buying the smaller networks, WB and UPN. The FCC will continue to prohibit two major networks from merging. If successful, News Corp. probably would maintain UPN as a separate network, in addition to Fox. With 176 affiliates, UPN is the smallest of the networks. Its rival WB has 221 affiliates and Fox has 222. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion