Of all the reasons given why Rupert Murdoch decided to keep the WSJ.com paid subscriber wall in place, the one that I find most interesting is that advertisers are willing to pay a premium for WSJ.com’s audience. If the WSJ went free, it would undoubtedly increase its audience substantially, but how valuable would those new visitors be to advertisers compared to the WSJ current niche audience?

The case for why publishers should be able to charge for content on the web always revolves around the exceptions that prove the rule, e.g. Consumer Report and WSJ — which, let’s be honest, are the same examples everyone was using back in 1998. The problem with paid content on the web isn’t that it’s not possible — it’s that it’s HARD to do, because it requires that the content not be a commodity — and content not being a commodity typically means it’s not available anywhere else for free. And the web has made free content ubiquitous.

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 - 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.

New York - AOL is in talks to acquire Third Screen Media, a developer of mobile phone advertising technology, in a deal that could be worth up to $80 million, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources.

New York - The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that a deal that Google's YouTube had been brokering with CBS, which would have put TV clips on the site in exchange for ad revenue, has fallen through.

New York - The deployment of AT&T's Internet-based TV service, U-verse, has been slowed by problems with the Microsoft software that powers the service, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

New York - Google has filed for a patent on digital billboard technology that would turn "kiosk-type billboards" in malls, airports and elsewhere into "a network of electronic display devices," The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

New York - News Corp.'s MySpace online social network plans to offer free software to parents that will allow them to monitor what name, age and location their children post to their profiles on the site, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Boston - Federal authorities have launched an investigation into a stock option grant made to Apple CEO Steve Jobs, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing "sources familiar with the probe."

McLean, Va. - Hoping to fight declining circulation and revenue, three major newspaper publishers, Gannett, McClatchy and Tribune, plan to jointly begin selling display ads for their Internet sites, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.