News Corp's Dow Jones buy clears antitrust review

News Corporation's pending acquisition of Dow Jones & Company has easily cleared antitrust review by the Federal Trade Commission, winning early termination of the legal waiting period. A joint statement says the companies expect the deal to close in Q4, following shareholder approval. Some other routine regulatory approvals have to be obtained and the parties have to sign the editorial agreement, designed to protect the editorial integrity of the Wall Street Journal, which was the most contentious part of the sale negotiation.

RBR observation: Despite the statement by FCC Commissioner Michael Copps that this is "no slam dunk," no FCC approval is needed, so it pretty much is a slam dunk. There were clearly no antitrust issues - we can't think of a single business where News Corporation and Dow Jones are direct competitors - so it sailed through the FTC review.

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