Silver Spring, Md. - In major step to becoming a public company, Discovery Holding Company (DHC) and Advance/Newhouse Programming Partnership said that they have agreed to combine their stakes in Silver Spring-based Discovery Communications, a move that leads the way for the company to become publicly listed.

Los Angeles - Uber.com, a social media publishing platform headed by former Friendster CEO Scott Sassa, has received a new investment from Discovery Communications, the Los Angeles Times reports, as part of a $7.6 million round that also included participation from Universal Music Group and Sterling Stamos Co-Investors Fund, according to a regulatory filing.

Silver Spring, Md. - Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey is teaming with Discovery Communications (NASD: DISCA) to create "OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network," a multi-platform venture scheduled to debut in 2009 in more than 70 million homes. The network will replace the Discovery Health channel in cable lineups, and include a Web component under the Oprah.com domain.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Holding (NASD: DISCA) and Advance/Newhouse Programming Partnership said on Thursday that they will combine their stakes in Discovery Communications to spin-off the cable television programmer into a new publicly traded company. John Malone, the chairman and CEO of Discovery Holding, said that the deal would "unlock the full potential and value of Discovery, and provide a broader range of options to pursue their aggressive growth strategy in the future."

Silver Spring, Md. - More than 18 months after losing The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) as a partner on the venture, Discovery Communications said that it will change the name of its "Discovery Times" channel to "Investigation Discovery," beginning Jan. 27. The company said that the new name "correlates directly" to the types of programs the channel has focused on over the past year. Discovery Communications launched Discovery Times as a joint venture with The New York Times in 2003. In April, however, the Times announced its intention to sell back its 50% stake in the channel. Even so, the channel has seen triple-digit ratings growth over the past 10 months.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications said on Monday that it will acquire HowStuffWorks.com, an Atlanta-based website that provides explanations about how things in the world actually work.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications, the media company behind such cable TV channels as The Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, said that it has acquired New York-based eco-lifestyle web site TreeHugger.com.

Sir Howard Stringer, Chairman of the American Film Institute (AFI) Board of Trustees, today announced the unanimous selection of Bob Gazzale as new AFI President and CEO.  Gazzale, a film historian and multiple Emmy-nominated television producer and writer, has been a senior executive at AFI for 15 years. He will succeed Jean Picker Firstenberg, who announced she would retire at the end of AFI's 40th Anniversary celebration this fall.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications, the large television network, announced that it will close its 103 Discovery Channel Stores by the end of third quarter.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications, the media company behind such cable TV channels as The Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, said that it has completed its deal to acquire Atlanta-based Cox Communications' 25% stake in the company in exchange for Travel Media, its unit that owns the Travel Channel and TravelChannel.com.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications, the media company behind such cable TV channels as The Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, has cut 200 jobs, or about 3% of its workforce.

Silver Spring, Md. - With a strong focus on interactive applications and online content, Discovery Communications announced plans on Thursday for a television network -- called Discovery PlanetGreen -- focused on "green lifestyle" programming.

Silver Spring, Md. - Discovery Communications, the media company behind such cable TV channels as The Discovery Channel, TLC and Animal Planet, may be on the verge of a major round of layoffs, according to a report by industry news magazine Broadcasting & Cable.

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Time Warner Cable announced Barry Rosenblum, an Executive Vice President based in New York, and Stephen Pagano, former Head of Time Warner Cable's Albany, N.Y., division, will replace Roger Keating who was forced out on Wednesday after complaints from customers.
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New York - National CineMedia, a provider of a network that delivers pre-feature digital ads and other programming in movie theaters, said on Wednesday that Discovery Communications has signed a multi-year agreement to provide short-form content for the service. National CineMedia's network includes 11,000 movie screens and reaches about 500 million patrons annually. Discovery said it will provide sneak peek segments of upcoming programs from its stable of channels.