Media companies have had more success with break-ups than marriages, and should stay away from more major mergers, say some experts. Talk of media consolidation is intensifying, following Disney's agreement to buy Marvel and reports of talks between Comcast ad NBC Universal, but big media companies should not be tempted. High cash piles, low valuations and an easier credit market make deals possible, but heartbroken shareholders are wary. "Don't look for the swashbuckling era of the 1990s to come back," says Harold Vogel, former senior analyst for Merrill Lynch. "The mergers that defined this business haven't proven to be …

The research and development group of The New York Times is a team of 13 full-timers that has spent nearly four years reviewing the newest technologies for use in spreading news and advertising. What have they come up with? The group is currently looking at new ways to connect the various devices consumers use to get information. In the R&D group's "Living Room," a 52-inch flat-screen TV offers content that also is found on the Times' Web site, mobile phone applications, and a laptop. In the future, a reader might see an article, podcast or video on the …

In yet another sign that sports is hot, CBS is close to selling out about 80% of its ad inventory for Super Bowl XLIV on Feb.7. It shows that the sports-advertising marketplace seems to be recovering more quickly than other TV venues. Prices range from $2.5 million to $3 million for a 30-second, in-game spot, say insiders. Next year's Super Bowl will showcase some intriguing ad battles. Rivals PepsiCo and Coca-Cola are committed to the game. Online jobs site Monster is expected to join the fray, lining up for attention against competing advertiser CareerBuilder. Other marketers expected to …

Led by improved ratings for its New York Yankees telecasts, the YES Network was the most-watched regional sports network in the country through the first three quarters of 2009. Over the first nine months of 2009, YES averaged 101,000 households in primetime, ahead of 94,000 for NESN, per Nielsen. YES also topped ESPN in the New York DMA by 26,000 households. YES's telecasts of the Yankees averaged a 4.62 rating in the New York DMA, a 9.5% increase over the team's telecasts in the 2008 season. (The Yankees won the American League title this year, after missing the …

With the closure of Gourmet magazine, the food media market is about to become much more segmented, says Saveur publisher Merri Lee Kingsly. Expect Food Network Magazine to go head-to-head with Bon Appetit, she says. Bon Appetit's main advantage is that it has more successful events than the Food Network. "Their Supper Club restaurant in Manhattan has a huge following and showcases chefs from around the country," Kingsly says. What the Food Network Magazine has that Bon Appetit doesn't is the power of their television channel and a network of celebrity chefs. Without Gourmet, Saveur is the …

Clear Channel may now default by early next year. The private-equity firms that own the company are asking some big banks to help them keep the company from defaulting on its loans, but the banks now are telling the PE firms to take a hike, say insiders. The rift is considered fallout from a bruising fight two years ago when the PE outfits forced reluctant banks to live up to their commitment to fund the Clear Channel buyout. The banks that underwrote the debt -- Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, RBS and Wachovia - had wanted the …

Procter & Gamble Co. is making over its Canadian custom-published quarterly Rouge for a full-scale U.S. launch expected to reach 11 million households in both countries by next year. A new wrinkle in the U.S. rollout is the use of the mommy blogger community to help build its database. Bloggers are expected to mention Rouge because it is free and comes loaded with coupons. Besides tapping social media, P&G is also sending Rouge to consumers who signed up on a P&G beauty brand Web site such as Olay.com or Pantene.com or who subscribe to beauty magazine subscriptions. …

No longer will a phone call interrupt people when they are trying to watch a TV show on their cell phone. A new wireless, handheld TV with its own dedicated network will be on the market in time for Christmas. The new Personal Television, or PTV, is from FLO TV, the live mobile TV service from Qualcomm that is used for AT&T Mobile Television and Verizon's V-Cast. The PTV will sell for $250, and subscriptions begin at $9 a month. AT&T and V-Cast products offer 15 channels apiece, including CBS Mobile, CNBC, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile, Fox News …

Michael Vick out of prison, back in the NFL, and now he's going to star in his own television series. Vick is partnering with BET for a new eight-part documentary series scheduled to air early next year. The program, tentatively titled "The Michael Vick Project," spotlights his controversial comeback with the Philadelphia Eagles while also examining his tumultuous past -- including his childhood and his 2007 arrest for running a dog-fighting ring. The series is a gamble for a quarterback who is eager to rehabilitate his tarnished image but also doesn't want to incur the further wrath of animal …

During the past year, Tribune Co. has quietly been committing significant dollars to off-network acquisitions for its sleepy cable superstation WGN America. The channel enjoys wide distribution in cable and satellite TV, now reaching 72 million homes. Next fall WGN America intends to rebrand itself as a haven for contemporary comedy with a primetime block of reruns that will include "How I Met Your Mother," "Entourage," "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "The New Adventures of Old Christine." In fall 2011, "30 Rock" will join the lineup. For years, WGN has mostly been known for carrying Chicago Cubs games and …