“Could CW Lead to a CBS, CNN Union?”

“A successful launch of CW could very well presage a momentous transformation in how co-parents Time Warner and CBS Corp. gather and disseminate news,” MediaWeek’s Anthony Crupi suggests. “According to sources in both camps, CNN and CBS have never quite closed the door on the idea of merging their news operations, although the last formal talks were dissolved in 2003…

Now that the companies have sidled closer to each other, many observers expect merger talks to resume. ‘Some kind of combination is inevitable,’ said Hal Vogel, principal of Vogel Capital Management. ‘The cost of having far-flung bureaus is way too high for any one organization to take on alone.'”

More: “Vogel said Moonves’ impatience with CBS News could hasten a deal. ‘Whether it’s CBS and CNN or some other outlet, I can foresee a deal being made within 12-18 months.'”