Dutch media and marketing research giant VNU, which is facing a takeover bid from leverage buyout firms that would likely break it up and sell off the pieces, Tuesday became a takeover player itself, acquiring BuzzMetrics Inc., a leading developer of word-of-mouth and buzz marketing research.

Peter Kaplan, editor of the weekly New York Observer has been quietly approaching trade publishers and wealthy individuals to see if they might be interested in buying the 45,000 circulation pink sheet. The paper, founded in 1987 by millionaire Arthur Carter, has won the hearts of New York's intelligentsia, but has never been seen as much of a money-maker or a must- buy for Madison Avenue. According to The New York Times, it loses about $2 million a year, but that may not hurt prospects for a sale as New York's rich and powerful line up for an opportunity to …

The National Association of Television Programs Executives wants its annual conference to regain its role as America's top media content marketplace after years of erosion, and is banking on emerging media to do so. NATPE '06, which kicks off next week in Las Vegas, has an agenda chockfull of emerging media content issues ranging from mobile to digital rights management, not to mention media buying and planning. The positioning of this year's conference is reminiscent of NATPE's refocusing in the late 1990s, the last time new media platforms were hot and threatening to crowd out NATPE's traditional TV programming base.

Given a choice between paying for ad-free content, or receiving it for free and with ads included, most consumers would opt to pay a fee. That's the surprising conclusion of a new study conducted by Starcom USA in response to the trend toward on-demand and downloaded media platforms. Nearly 70 percent of the 1,000 respondents to Starcom's poll said they would rather download ad-free content. Were they to receive ad-supported content, most consumers would prefer to pay less. Other recent studies have indicated the opposite: That a majority of consumers would prefer ad-supported downloads.

Ted Koppel, the former ABC newsman who got his big break when Iranian Islamic fundamentalists took Americans hostage during the 1980s, has been wooed by Al Jazeera, the 24-hour satellite news channel that many see as the voice of the Islamic world. Koppel Friday told reporters attending the Television Critics Association conference in Los Angeles that the Arabic TV channel approached him and his long-time producer Tom Bettag about joining Al Jazeera, but quickly added, "I don't think Tom and I entertained it more than 38 seconds."

Who says you have to pay $12 a month to hear Howard Stern's unedited potty mouth? Illegal pirate radio broadcasts of Stern's Sirius radio program are popping up on radio stations in Brooklyn and New Jersey, according to a New York Daily News article. Hijacking the paid content is one problem; airing the soundbites, unedited, is another. The FCC said that no complaints were received, but it's looking into the matter. Could Howard Stern indirectly find himself back in the FCC's line of fire?

The magazine industry has experienced barely a whiff of positive news the last few years, but a report by AdMedia Partners, a media-investment house, says the M&A market will be strong in 2006. The flip side of the report is that the market could cool significantly next year because of the scarcity of quality properties. According to AdMedia's survey, a vast majority of survey respondents said M&As driven by both strategic and financial buyers will increase in 2005. Only 5 percent saw a slowdown. Folio: magazine reports that "if consolidation continues, AdMedia managing director Mark Edmiston warns there could be …

There's no gainsaying that satellite radio is white-hot.  XM and Sirius, the two big players in the segment, have captured subscribers, buzz, and significant ad dollars in recent months. And both vow that this is only the beginning. But their aggressive plans for revenue growth will not go unchallenged. A confluence of new technologies, not to mention newly emboldened competitors, are preparing to divert satellite from its flight path. Here's how they line up: high-def radio, wireless radio downloads, Apple Computer.  Each poses a real challenge to satellite. High-def allows individual broadcasters to stream more stations, with higher fidelity. …

It's not clear if he actually endorses the concept or is merely having fun by placing it into the rough and tumble arena of public debate, but Business Week media columnist Jon Fine this week suggests that a well-organized consortium of big content providers could, if they wanted, cripple Google.  Fine has Walt Disney, News Corp., NBC Universal, and the New York Times cooperating on the proposed venture. "Picture this: [these companies partner] in an odd tableau of unity, join together and say: 'We are the founding members of the Content Consortium. Next month we launch our free, searchable …

Buzz marketing has become a staple for many traditional companies--so much so that Procter & Gamble even formed its own word-of-mouth marketing unit. It was only a matter of time for venture capitalists to take notice. BzzAgent, a Boston-based word of mouth marketing company, is expecting to announce that it's raised $14 million from VC companies General Catalyst Partners and IDG Ventures Boston. Anheuser-Busch and Volkswagen are two of BzzAgent's estimated 120 clients. "You can reach hundreds of thousands of people by tapping just one," said David Verklin, chief executive of Carat America. "This business is going to be the …