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AOL CEO addresses troops, but not Yahoo

CNET News.com's Jim Kerstetter contributed to this blog.

In a memo apparently intended to ease the nerves of AOL employees, Chief Executive Randy Falco broadly outlined the Time Warner business unit's position in the marketplace without directly addressing the elephant in the room: Yahoo.

In recent days, reports have resurfaced that Yahoo is either in partnership or merger talks with the struggling Time Warner unit. But in his memo sent out to employees, Falco never actually addresses Yahoo, Microsoft, or the machinations reported in recent days.

Instead, he talks about AOL's current standing in advertising, publishing, … Read more

Microhoo machinations: Clemenza was right

At a memorable point in the first Godfather movie, Clemenza inadvertently demonstrated his talent for Wall Street deal-making when he offered this sage advice to Michael Corleone:

"You know you got to stop them at the beginning, like they should have stopped Hitler at Munich. They should never've let him get away with that. They were just asking for big trouble."

In the Yahoo drama, the stand-ins for Clemenza, Tessio, Sonny, Michael, and Tom Hagen feature Jerry Yang, Steve Ballmer, Rupert Murdoch, and Eric Schmidt. The common motive in both? How to screw the other guy before … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 700: Merger-mania!

Yahoo and Microsoft bring Google, AOL, and News Corp. into the ring for a pretty awesome merger-mania that we sincerely hope involves the gratuitous use of Spandex. Sunday, Sunday, Sunday on Pay-per-view! That darned RSA conference continues to scare the sneezes out of us by demonstrating how taking down a national power grid is trivially easy. (Insert nervous giggle here.) We guess it's good to know? Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 667

Yahoo-Microsoft buyout brawl, one-two punch with a swift comeback punch http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9916001-7.html http://www.news.com/8301-13953_3-9915835-80.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120776803032602423.html… Read more

Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, AOL? See News.com for the whole story

No matter how this story ends, it will have a big impact on all Web users. If Microsoft takes control of Yahoo, for example, many of Redmond's Web properties will likely get scuttled while Yahoo's become even bigger. If Google and Yahoo do a deal, the price of Internet advertising will go up (since the combined network would control the majority of keyword advertising), and so on. For the full rundown of what could change, what's likely to happen, and all the latest news, check out News.com's complete coverage of Yahoo and its suitors.

In Yahoo-Microsoft buyout brawl, a flurry of punches

Updated 8:10 AM PDT with Wall Street reaction.

In rapid-fire succession Wednesday, the Microhoo buyout brawl had Yahoo throwing a one-two punch at Microsoft, with a swift comeback punch from the folks in Redmond.

And the crowd, or should I say the investors, liked what they saw. Yahoo's stock ended the day up slightly as the first punch came in toward the end of the trading day, and has continued to climb in early morning trading Thursday, following news events from last night.

Here's a quick blow-by-blow.

Yahoo looks to Google and AOL Yahoo kicked things off … Read more

AOL, Google, and News Corp. get into the Yahoo sweepstakes

I never thought that Microsoft's unsolicited bid for Yahoo could get so interesting. It's taking on Shakespearian dimensions, with various factions lobbying, forming alliances, and establishing dowries for Yahoo's favor. In addition, News Corp. may be lending aid to Microsoft in its quest to acquire Yahoo.

Over the weekend, Steve Ballmer gave Jerry Yang three weeks to capitulate, or Microsoft would take its case directly to Yahoo shareholders. Today, 69 days into the negotiations and posturing, with Microsoft seemingly in the driver's seat, prognosticators are scratching their heads.

Yahoo and AOL are reportedly in deep talks … Read more

Yahoo rumored to be in AOL talks

Just when I thought it was safe to head for the bar comes news, courtesy of our colleagues over at the Wall Street Journal, that Yahoo and AOL are working on a deal to combine the two companies' Internet operations.

"The possible Yahoo-AOL tie-up is part of a threefold plan by Yahoo to present shareholders with an alternative to Microsoft's unsolicited offer. Yahoo would also propose repurchasing billions of dollars of its own shares and is negotiating with Google Inc. about an advertising tie-up, people familiar with the matter said."

Say this much for Yahoo CEO Jerry … Read more

Europeans warn search engines: Delete user data sooner

In a move that seems destined to invite tension with major American search engines, a European Commission advisory body has suggested that those companies delete data collected about their users after six months--a far cry from what most companies currently do.

The recommendation arrived in a 29-page "opinion" (PDF) published Friday by a European Commission body known as the Article 29 Working Party. Backed by privacy groups, it has been pressuring Internet companies on the search data front for months. The report focused on advertising-supported search engines, as opposed to search functions embedded in Web sites.

The Working … Read more

Balkanization would kill major-label subscription services

Sony BMG and Warner are both reported to be considering subscription-based music services.

Earlier this week, the AP quoted Sony BMG CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz discussing a subscription-based service that would offer unlimited downloads of all songs in the Sony BMG catalog for 6 to 8 euro. The downloads would be transferrable to all portable devices, including Apple's iPod. DRM would presumably play a part, so that content would be disabled on a device if you stopped paying the subscription.

Warner is taking a different approach, proposing that consumers be charged a monthly fee by their ISP--maybe five bucks--for the … Read more