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XM, Sirius Announce $13B Merger (B&C)
After months of speculation, the two major satellite radio companies have made it official. XM and Sirius Satellite Radio have announced a planned all-stock merger that they say will create a satellite radio company valued at $13 billion, with debt of $1.6 billion. Combined, the companies claim 2006 revenues of $1.5 billion and approximately 14 million subs. Mel Karmazin [left], CEO of Sirius, will be CEO of the new company, with Gary Parsons, XM Chairman, becoming chairman. NYT: Merger would end rivalry, and is sure to raise antitrust issues. NYP: Doubtful to get past FCC. USA Today: If there's anything that Mel Karmazin knows, it's the art of the deal.

Warner Music Approaches EMI About Takeover (AP)
The long courtship between EMI Group PLC and Warner Music Group is on again. EMI confirmed that it had received an approach from Warner about a possible bid. "There is, however, no proposal currently for the EMI board to consider," the company said in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. Guardian: Timeline.

Tribune Co. Files Trademark Suit Against Fox's Red Eye (Chicago Tribune)
Chicago Tribune Co., the unit of media conglomerate Tribune Co. that publishes the Chicago Tribune and its RedEye edition, has filed a federal trademark infringement suit against Fox News Channel's new late-night show Red Eye.

Europe Plans to Track Phone and Net Use (NYT)
European governments are preparing legislation to require companies to keep detailed data about people's Internet and phone use that goes beyond what the countries will be required to do under a European Union directive. In Germany, a proposal would essentially prohibit using false information to create an e-mail account, making the standard Internet practice of creating accounts with pseudonyms illegal.

New Weapon in Web War Over Piracy: Content-Recognition (CNet)
As media companies struggle to reclaim control over their movies, television shows and music in a world of online file-sharing software, they have found an ally in content-recognition software, which makes it possible to identify copyrighted material, even, for example, from blurry video clips. The technology could address what the entertainment industry sees as one of its biggest problems: songs and videos being posted on the Web without permission. Variety: L.A. to fight piracy.

Aqua Teen Guerilla Ad Creator: We Never Meant To Scare Anyone (Brandweek)
"The signs were never designed to scare people, to get people into a panic state," says Sam Ewen, founder of Interference, Inc., the New York marketing agency hired to create and execute the guerrilla-marketing stunt on behalf of Aqua Teen Hunger Force that went awry in Boston on Jan. 31. "They were designed for what they were, which was a showcase, the characters, the flight."

Sony Exec Says PS3 Getting Movie Downloads (1Up.com)
Phil Harrison, president, Worldwide Studios, Sony Computer Entertainment: The decision we made to put a hard drive in every PlayStation 3 was because we saw the long term benefit. The 10 year plan of allowing people to download all kinds of digital content to their PlayStation 3 — not just games but movies, music, HD, standard definition TV, you name it. And that was a significant investment, but it was absolutely the right thing to do. Trusted Reviews: Sony is desperate to continue the trend it has set of doing everything the Xbox 360 can do only much later. AdAge: Nintendo needs to think different, not better.

Grapes of Wrath First Edition: $47,800 (AP via San Jose Mercury News)
A rare edition of The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck's epic 1939 tale of Depression-era poverty, sold at auction for $47,800. Also sold at auction: Of Mice and Men ($7,768), East of Eden ($8,365) and In Dubious Battle ($11,353). The Steinbeck family chose to sell the books to finance renovation of a Pacific Grove, California, bungalow where Steinbeck wrote some of his books.

21 States Lash Out at Bud.TV (AdAge)
Dealing a blow to the $40 million experiment hailed as ushering in a new era for marketer-generated media, the attorneys general of 21 states are attacking Bud's groundbreaking online TV network, charging that it's too easily accessed by people below legal drinking age.

Ex-Newsweek Editor: Think Global, Act 'Hyperlocal' (Beet TV)
Washington Post/Newsweek Interactive chief Mark Whitaker sees opportunities for the Post and other big publishers who need to embrace new business models. He sees opportunities in niche/special interest publishing and highly localized or "hyperlocal" publishing. He says that consumer generated content will become increasingly important.

LAT Targets Hollywood Mogul (Deadline Hollywood Daily)
Nikki Finke: Hollywood, beware: The Los Angeles Times has decided to pursue the type of tabloid journalism associated with the National Enquirer. I have learned that reporter Kim Christensen is working on an article about studio mogul Ron Meyer's gambling history. It is a history that is years old, that has never impacted his professional work, and that is not illegal. This is tabloid journalism at its worst.

Deconstructing the Money-Honey Mess (Fortune)
The imbroglio involving CNBC anchor Maria Bartiromo and fired Citi exec Todd Thomson is about much more than plane rides — and it may not be over. "Sure, it's a fascinating soap opera," says Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Howard Mason. "It's so fascinating, in fact, that no one is looking at the company's financials anymore. All [investors] want to talk about is sex on planes." TVNewser: Bartiromo still won't talk publicly.

MTV Nears Deal With Joost (Guardian)
Joost, the internet TV venture from the inventors of Skype, is close to a content licensing deal with MTV parent Viacom. Viacom is set to announce a deal that will include hundreds of hours of programming from MTV and Comedy Central as well as films from its Paramount Studios division.

White House Hates Leaks, Except When it Doesn't (USA Today)
If there's one thing members of the Bush administration say they don't like, it's leaks. President Bush has at various times denounced leaks as "unacceptable" and "shameful." Vice President Cheney called one unauthorized disclosure "a disgrace." And if there's one thing the trial of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, has shown, it's that people at the highest levels of the administration leak when it suits their strategic purposes.

Tiki Barber Fumbles During NBC Press Conference (Marketwatch)
Jon Friedman: As someone who prides himself on his smoothness, Barber looked inelegant when he criticized his former football coach at NBC's welcoming press conference. Barber should've stuck to the platitudes that Matt Lauer was a role model and that he always wanted to be on the Today show and left it at that.

Atlanta Journal-Constitution Restructures To Focus On Digital (AJC)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will cut its circulation area by dozens of counties, offer buyouts to 80 newsroom employees and spend $30 million to upgrade a printing plant as part of a multifaceted revamp of the paper's operations. The paper plans to shift more resources to focus on digital news.