• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 1, 2008

In what might seem like a media brand affinity destined to happen, science magazine publisher Discover Media held exploratory talks with science, adventure and lifestyle TV programmer Discovery Communications. It's unclear what, if anything came, out of the talks, but executives on both sides deny that it included a discussion of a merger, even though some believe Discover Media, publisher of Discover magazine, is on the block.

"We're categorically not for sale," Henry Donahue, who was named CEO of Discover Media, asserted in response to MediaDailyNews' query.

Both companies characterized the conversation as an exploration of potential business and programming partnerships. Discovery Communications, the parent of The Discovery Channel, TLC, and a swath of science and lifestyle programming channels, has a long history of collaborating with print publishers on television programming. In 2002, Discovery formed a joint venture with the New York Times Co., to launch the Discovery Times Channel.

In January, Discovery announced plans to launch a new channel, OWN, in partnership with Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions. Discovery has developed partnerships with Hearst Magazine's and Time Inc.'s Real Simple.

Discover had been on a role as recently as last October, when it announced a management shuffle that made Donahue CEO from CFO, succeeding Bob Guccione Jr., the magazine publishing impresario who led the group that acquired Discover magazine from the Walt Disney Co. in October 2005. Discover was launched in 1980 by Time Inc.

Guccione, who was subsequently named chairman of Discover Media, had presided over a two-year overhaul of the magazine's content, circulation rate base and position that contributed to a 20% increase in ad pages during the first half of 2007, a period in which magazine industry ad pages dipped 0.5%.

Guccione, a serial magazine entrepreneur who created the highly regarded Spin, and Gear magazines, and is the son of Penthouse founder Bob Guccione Sr., is believed to be exploring several new magazine publishing ventures.