NBCUniversal close to taking stake in company started by AllThingsD journalists: WSJ

(Reuters) - NBCUniversal is said to be close to taking a minority stake in a new company being formed by AllThingsD journalists Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the situation. Mossberg and Swisher currently run the AllThingsD website, which is owned by Dow Jones & Co, the News Corp unit that also publishes The Wall Street Journal. The website was launched in 2007 as an extension of the D: All Things Digital technology industry conference and quickly became an authoritative source of industry news and gadget reviews. As part of the expected deal, NBCUniversal's television networks are expected to obtain access to content from Mossberg and Swisher's new company, the newspaper said. (http://link.reuters.com/suk84v) NBCUniversal, a unit of Comcast Corp, owns the NBC network and CNBC and MSNBC. Mossberg and Swisher have said they plan to start a company with a new name next year. They have held talks with several media companies, including Hearst Corp, the Wall Street Journal reported. However, Hearst is no longer in talks, according to people familiar with the matter, the Journal said. In September, the journalists and Dow Jones said they would not renew their partnership when their contract expires at the end of the year. (Reporting By Maria Ajit Thomas in Bangalore)