Maynard, Mass. - Generate Inc., a developer of business intelligence software, has been acquired by News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Dow Jones & Co., the New York-based provider of global business news and information services.

New York - News Corp.'s (NYSE: NWS) Dow Jones & Company announced that it will not renew the news partnership between its Dow Jones Newswires and the Associated Press, and instead has signed a deal to distribute editorial content from rival Agence France-Presse (AFP). The company noted that the deal does not affect agreements between AP and The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Factiva. Dow Jones Newswires publishes up to 12,000 items each day, reporting from nearly 90 bureaus worldwide. The company said it also plans to expand its global editorial staff, and that the changes are part of its broader strategy to invest in its global financial news operations.

Charlestown, Mass. - Eons, a provider of online communities for baby boomers, announced on Wednesday that it has spun off its obituary classified business, Tributes.com.

New York - Despite credit market turmoil, U.S. private equity firms raised a record $302 billion in 415 funds last year, according to the January issue of industry newsletter Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst.

New York - Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ), publisher of The Wall Street Journal, announced on Thursday that its shareholders have approved a $5.6 billion sale of the company to News Corporation (NYSE: NWS), with 60.27% of shares voting in favor of the deal. The Journal reported that about 78% of outstanding common shares voted in favor of the deal, compared with 54% of supervoting shares -- most of which is held by the Bancroft family, which has long controlled Dow Jones.

Adelaide, Australia - News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) chairman Rupert Murdoch, whose company is acquiring Dow Jones & Co. (NYSE: DJ), publisher of The Wall Street Journal, said on Tuesday that he intends to abandon the subscription model on the paper's website -- which recently hit a million subscribers -- in favor of a free, advertising-supported model, the Associated Press reported.

Washington - One of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) five commissioners has asked FCC chairman Kevin Martin to open an inquiry into News Corporation's (NYSE: NWS) proposed $5.6 billion acquisition of Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ)  and The Wall Street Journal, Broadcasting & Cable reported.

New York - U.S. venture capital firms raised $3.23 billion during the second quarter, a 62% drop from the same period last year and the biggest decline since 2002, according to figures released by Dow Jones VentureOne.

New York - Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation looks to have overcome dissent within the Bancroft family, which controls voting interest in Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co., and will be successful in its $5 billion bid for the company, according to reports in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times and elsewhere.

New York - A branch of the Bancroft family, the controlling shareholders of Dow Jones & Co., plan to vote against accepting News Corp.'s buyout offer of $60 per share for the company, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a person familiar with the situation.

New York - News Corp.'s $5 billion takeover of Dow Jones & Co. is one step closer to fruition after Dow Jones' 16-member board voted in favor of the deal Tuesday night, The Wall Street Journal reported.

New York - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. has reached a tentative deal to acquired Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones for $5 billion, but must still gain approval from the Bancroft family, which owns 64% of Dow Jones voting power and has expressed reservations about the deal, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

New York - Business.com, a business-to-business search engine, has been put up for sale by its owners and could fetch between $300 million and $400 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

New York - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. edged closer to its goal of acquiring Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones yesterday, when the Bancroft family, which controls 64% of Dow Jones, said that it was willing to meet with Murdoch and consider his bid, as well as competing bids and other options, The Wall Street Journal reported.

In a dramatic turnabout, the Bancroft family, which controls Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, agreed to discuss a sale of the company to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp after initially refusing to do so. There are a number of hints that the turnabout was driven by concern over the future of Dow Jones in a digital media world:

Reston, Va. - Voxant, an online distributor and promoter of news content, said that it has partnered with Dow Jones Online to make videos from The Wall Street Journal Online, MarketWatch.com and Barron's Online available through its syndication platform, TheNewsRoom. The company also announced that CBS News and CBS Television Stations Group will distribute national and local news clips through its syndication network. The company provides website publishers and bloggers with access to thousands of licensed news stories and video clips, which sites can then embed and syndicate to their own readers.