Digital newspaper paywalls affect one-third of all daily online readers, though the actual percentage of papers behind such walls -- 239 out of 1,532 dailies -- is  about half that, writes Steve Myers.  That's because it's the largest circulation papers generally charging for digital access.

Comcast is reportedly close to selling its 15% stake in the A&E cable networks, bringing in nearly $3 billion -- which would mean A&E Networks is "worth about $20 billion, making it one of the most valuable properties in the television business," writes Bill Carter.

News Corp.'s  split of its print/entertainment assets, set to take place next year, could hurt the red-ink-spewing-New York Post still further, partly because its digital strategy is weak, according to one analyst cited by Jeff Berkovici. "But those who work at the [Wall Street] Journal and its parent unit, Dow Jones & Co., most likely don’t have much to worry about, say industry analysts. In fact, the split could very well end up benefiting them in multiple ways," Bercovici writes.

TV fans often "have a quarrel with Nielsen, but I've come to the conclusion that most of them would have a quarrel with TV ratings measurement no matter what the system of measurement was," writes Robert Seidman. He parses the most frequent suggestions/complaints from viewers concerning ratings -- including the question "Why don't we measure everybody?" -- and comes up with a primer that could be useful as a reminder of the current state of ratings for those in the biz, as well.

Secaucus, N.J.-based Northstar Travel Media, whose publications serve the travel and meetings industries, has been acquired by New York-based private equity firm Wicks Group for an undisclosed sum, "making it one of the very few successful transactions in traditional b-to-b media in the last several years," writes Tony Silber. Wicks will retain the present management team.

Facing the end of their present deals with Major League Baseball next year, the MLB's three national TV partners (ESPN, Turner and Fox) are currently negotiating with the league -- a process now complicated by a "bifurcated linear/digital rights structure" and "renewed interest" from former MLB broadcaster NBC, writes Anthony Crupi. "The only certainty is that the cost of doing business with America’s pastime almost certainly will soar," he writes -- and negotiations could extend through the summer.

FX has bought the off-network rights to CBS' hit comedy "Mike & Molly" from Warner Bros. for "about half the market rate": about $800,000 per episode, according to Anthony Crupi. The show will air on FX starting in fall 2014.

Birds Eye is " taking the unusual step of marketing directly to children" by partnering with "iCarly," a kids Nickelodeon show, in a contest for kids to develop their own "wacky" veggie dishes, writes Andrew Adam Newman. Example cited of this less-than-delicious-sounding food genre: a "'veggie sundae' -- a scoop each of carrots, cauliflower and broccoli in a banana split dish, each scoop topped with a cherry."

News Corp.'s recent move to separate its newspaper publishing from its TV/entertainment assets is sparking "speculation" of a similar publishing/entertainment split for Time Warner, writes Jeanine Poggi. She gets analysts to examine the pros and cons of the idea -- not the first time it's been considered, apparently. "The company has long heard suggestions that it spin off its Time Inc. magazine division, accompanied by arguments that the magazines would benefit from a more entrepreneurial environment and pleas to let investors buy shares in the businesses they …

It's a slow news day, which gives us time to read a series of pieces examining just how far women have come in the media world since Ms. magazine was founded a little over 40 years ago. (And click here for an excellent oral history of that historic publication, which ran last year in New York magazine.) So, baby, how far have we come? Not far enough, apparently. "Lately, there has been a flurry of data showing that major media outlets still overwhelmingly cite men as experts, even on women’s issues such as reproductive rights: A media …