Behind Your Business

Microsoft's decision engine Bing may get the push it needs to better compete with search-engine giant Google. News Corp., a global media company and publisher of several news outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, and Fox, and online networks such as MySpace.com may pull its search content listings from Google and move them to Bing.

In an effort to add revenues to the company's bottom line, media mogul and News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch is not just planning to pull back News Corp.'s content from Google's search engine and take it to Bing. He is asking other publishers to join him in the company's delisting efforts, the Financial Times reported.

It's not yet clear how News Corp. would benefit from moving its content to Bing, and talks with Microsoft are still in the early stages. News Corp. wouldn't comment on the report and Brianna Pinder, a Microsoft spokesperson, said, "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation."

From Free to Fee

Until now publishers have not been paying attention and need to charge users to view news content, Murdoch told Sky News Australia earlier this month. He said it costs publishers a lot of money to provide content to users both offline and online and users need to pay for the information they want to read.

The executive, who owns a third of the company's shares, said he has never believed it to be a good idea to offer news content free for two reasons. First is that people should be willing to pay for valuable editorial content, and second, all the advertising in the world would not make all the News Corp. web sites profitable.

Observers, however, said the move shows the media empire is in trouble.

It has been no secret that the company has been hit hard by the recession. In...