GE, Pearson Consider Dow Jones Bid

NEW YORK, June 18: General Electric, the parent company of
NBC Universal, is said to be in discussions with Pearson, home to the Financial
Times, about a joint bid for Dow Jones
& Company, publisher of The Wall Street Journal.

The two companies are expected to decide within days whether
to outbid News Corporation’s $5-billion offer for Dow Jones. Should News
Corp.’s offer be accepted, the deal would provide a boost to the company’s
soon-to-be-launched FOX Business Channel, which is being set up as a competitor
to the NBC Universal-owned CNBC.

The GE/Pearson bid being considered would keep the Bancroft
family, controllers of the majority of Dow Jones’ voting shares, as a minority
partner, the FT reports.