Seeing a Clear Channel in the making, NYT comes out against the XM-Sirius merger.

These are not widget makers. Radios carry important discourse and debate — they are vital to the free exchange of ideas protected by the First Amendment. Recent experience shows that media consolidation usually leads to more homogeneous content, politically as well as artistically, and it rarely benefits the consumer or the country.

Tuning In to One Company

XM and SIRIUS today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement, under which the companies will be combined in a tax-free, all-stock merger of equals with a combined enterprise value of approximately $13 billion, which includes net debt of approximately $1.6 billion.

Widely covered, but noteworthy, if it gets approved.

XM and Sirius Merge

"No, I’m not going to be in this industry anymore. The industry's dying." He waited a beat, then added, "I'm going to sell drugs to junior high schoolers."

Lights Out

Early last year, the standard price of a 4-by-6 print was around 29 cents. Today, they cost 19 cents at Shutterfly, 15 cents at Kodak and 12 cents at Snapfish, though volume discounts are available.

A Dot-Com Survivor’s Long Road

Fragrance makers have released more new products in the past two years than they did in every year from 1970 to 1989 combined.

The Smell Test

International Business Machines said yesterday that its third-quarter net income soared on robust software sales, a business helped by $4 billion in acquisitions this year.

Acquisitions Lift Earnings 47% at IBM

An attractive woman comes up to you and asks if you'd be kind enough to take her photo in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. Naturally, you agree. As you're lining up a good shot, you can't help but notice the camera's sleek, lightweight design.

Sucker.

Is this the future of advertising?

“Jonathan clearly wanted to go for it.”

Go for it, he did. Mr. Abrams spurned Google’s advances and charted his own course. In retrospect, he should have taken the $30 million. If Google had paid him in stock, Mr. Abrams would easily be worth $1 billion today, according to one person close to Google. And with Google’s ample resources, Friendster might have solidified its position as the pioneering front-runner in social networking. Instead, Mr. Abrams has the distinction of founding a company that is shorthand for potential unmet.

Can't you hear Nelson's "Ha Ha!" in the background?

Wallflower at the Web Party

The deal is done.

A profitless Web site started by three 20-somethings after a late-night dinner party is sold for more than a billion dollars, instantly turning dozens of its employees into paper millionaires. It sounds like a tale from the late 1990’s dot-com bubble, but it happened yesterday.

"If you believe it’s the future of television, it’s clearly worth $1.6 billion," said Steve Ballmer.

"There are some issues with YouTube," said Sumner Redstone.

... considering testing a pre-roll ...

Dot-Com Boom Echoed in Deal to Buy YouTube

"I'm here to tell you that NBC is not some cold, corporate machine. It's people like me, trying to put their son through prep school and buy their daughter a horse."

Mark Cuban told an advertising conference last month that only a "moron" would buy YouTube.

That means you, Larry, Sergey, and Eric. Especially Eric, I suppose.

“It’s not about the video. It’s about creating a community around the video.”

There is no community in Google. If there's anything that could be Google's eventual undoing, it is this. I question whether buying YouTube could fix this.

Google’s largest investment to date was its $1 billion equity investment in Time Warner’s AOL subsidiary, which was part of a multiyear advertising deal.

I had no idea about that. What are they doing investing in AOL?

YouTube, Ready for Its Close-Up