In L.A., Joe Flint reports Time Warner Cable is "in advanced talks with the Dodgers for a deal involving the storied franchise's television rights." TWC is "prepared to pay upward of $7 billion for the right to be in business with the Dodgers for the foreseeable future." A contract could be "announced as early as later this week." While News Corp. is "still in the hunt, right now it appears that Time Warner Cable has the lead heading into the ninth inning of negotiations with the team's new majority owner, Guggenheim Partners." The Dodgers are "hot for their own channel that they would control." Even if a new channel "isn't created for the Dodgers, it is hard to see how such an agreement won't drive up cable bills" (L.A. TIMES, 1/22).
PIE IN THE SKY: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Georg Szalai reports EPL club Manchester United has bought out TV provider BSkyB's 33.3% equity stake in its Manchester United Television network, "better known as MUTV." The channel was launched in '98 "as a joint venture" with BSkyB and broadcaster ITV. ManU bought out ITV's one-third stake in '07 and said that it "has since further expanded its TV capabilities." MUTV is available in 57 countries, and consumers can get it either via subscription "or as programming blocks bought by TV networks" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 1/22).
MARKET WATCH: In N.Y., Atkinson & Kosman reported there is "talk that CBS Radio will be the next to hit the market." Sources believe that CBS President & CEO Les Moonves is "open to a sale of the station group as he looks to reduce the company’s reliance on advertising and shed slower growth businesses." Sources said that while a "sale of the radio unit isn’t imminent, it could happen in the next 12 to 24 months" (N.Y. POST, 1/21).
SAY HELLO, WAVE GOODBYE: Charlotte Observer golf writer Ron Green Jr. is leaving the paper "to write full time about golf for Global Golf Post, a weekly online golf magazine." Green will continue to "write occasionally for the Observer, contributing a weekly golf column as well as columns from major golf events" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 1/20)....Longtime Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley is "retiring this month." Kelley started writing for the newspaper in '82 (SEATTLE TIMES, 1/20)....WQAM-AM has "suspended host Dan Sileo for two days in the wake of a series of sexist insults delivered, via Twitter, to Fox broadcaster Erin Andrews" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 1/19).
