Bartiromo-Burnett: Feud or Corporate Dust-Up?

Asked whether the Post's coverage of the feud was an attempt by News Corp. to spark dissension in the ranks at its rival, a spokeswoman for the newspaper said the allegation was "unworthy of comment."

Andrew Butcher, a spokesman for News Corp., says it's a conspiracy theory invented by bloggers.

"We've got better ways to compete with CNBC than by coming up with plot lines like that," says Butcher.

CNBC declined to make Burnett or Bartiromo available for comment.

In addition to personnel issues, News Corp. has to contend with Dow Jones' exclusive content-sharing contract with CNBC, which puts multiple Journal reporters on air. It remains to be seen how this will actually affect synergies between the Fox Business Network and Dow Jones' venerable publishing institutions.

A spokesman for Fox declined to comment on the network's plans. Murdoch said on a recent conference call that Fox will still be able to work with The Journal in areas outside business and financial news.

Also, News Corp. could make use of Dow Jones' online news outlet, MarketWatch, in its television efforts. The company has bought the rights to the Web address FoxMarketWatch.com, according to MarkMonitor.com.

Representatives at News Corp., Dow Jones and CNBC couldn't confirm whether MarketWatch is included in the CNBC-Dow Jones contract.

Goldman would say only that Dow Jones' content-sharing partnership with CNBC remains in place through 2012, despite the News Corp. acquisition, and he expects "the quality" of the partnership to continue.

"CNBC's focus is on being first in business worldwide," says Goldman. "CNBC has respect for Fox News and the people who work there. That being said, CNBC is even more confident in our growth and success and our ability to be first in business worldwide."