WYPR "darn close" to blanketing Maryland

Baltimore's WYPR will extend its service to Maryland's Eastern shore with the pending purchase of WRXS in Ocean City, a top-40 commercial station broadcasting on 106.9 FM. "The idea is for WYPR to be heard across the state of Maryland," said Andrew Bienstock, WYPR p.d., in today's Baltimore Sun. The expansion "brings us darn close." FCC approval of the acquisition is expected next month. Later in the fall, the Baltimore station will boost its signal to 15,500 watts and begin broadcasting a separate program stream in high-definition.

What next for Murdoch's Wall Street Journal?

Media analysts and writers forecast what will happen now that Rupert Murdoch has succeeded in his quest to buy the Wall Street Journal. Richard Siklos reports in the New York Times that Murdoch will likely go after his newspaper and the Financial Times by "aggressively undercutting advertising and investing heavily in editorial content--particularly in Washington and international news." Poynter Online's Rick Edmonds also predicts an expansion of the Journal's Washington bureau, and not as many defections among the Journal's editorial staff as many would expect. The special committee created to preserve the Journal's editorial independence "won't amount to much," Edmonds writes.

National Archives cuts DVD deal with Amazon

The National Archives announced a non-exclusive agreement to sell digital copies of its historic films on Amazon.com. The first DVDs, a collection of newsreels from the 1950s and 60s, went on sale July 16. The Washington Post contrasted the Archives' agreement with the Smithsonian's controversial contract with Showtime, the premium cable network.