The TV Zone

Yes, the Fox News business channel - now named the Fox Business Network - will be on a New York cable outlet this fall, but still no word yet on whether deals have been reached with Cablevision.

And there you have it: The big news out of this afternoon's announcement that the Fox Business Network will go forward, as expected, in mid-October. Official start date: October 15.

This is, of course, an interesting development for any number of reasons - notwithstanding Rupert Murdoch's bid to purchase the Wall Street Journal parent Dow Jones. With an official name and start date now in hand, does this mean Rupe thinks he's got the Journal? FNC's biz channel was - or is - expected to exploit the many resources of Dow Jones, assuming News Corp.'s $5 billion bid succeeds. (Naturally, Murdoch may also think the Journal deal - now under pressure from a pair of white knights - is kaput, so he wants to put a happy face on the new biz network.)

Fox had earlier announced that it had secured 30 million subscribers; there's no magic to the number, and it still pales in comparison to rival CNBC's 90-million-plus subscriber base. Nevertheless, it does suggest that the new channel has some traction in the brutally tough cable world, where space remains at a premium even in the digital era. The new network will appear on Time Warner systems throughout New York City, per a spokeswoman, who added that deals with Comcast, Charter and DirecTV were also secured. (No surprise with DirecTV, which is owned by News Corp.; unclear how many of the 30 million subs will be DTV ones.)

Those with long memories will recall that T W initially rebuffed Fox News Channel way back in '96, igniting a ferocious legal battle between News Corp. and CNN's parent that ultimately engulfed then-mayor Rudolph Giuliani and - quite colorfully - Ted Turner who called Murdoch all sorts of amusing names. (FNC, by the way, launched with seventeen million subscribers.)

“We are excited to introduce the Fox Business Network into the financial news arena and look forward to growing our subscriber base to develop a competitive network in the coming years,” said Fox Biz Network boss, Kevin Magee.