Are old media guys really looking to drop their old media assets?

Paul La Monica at CNNmoney.com asks "Will major media conglomerates soon unload some of their biggest assets?" We think the answer is a definite yes because media execs are constantly battling to become and/or remain relevant in the media business and to be relevant today is to be heavily invested in digital media. Some of them are even buying up web businesses with blind folds on praying that it works out in the long run and for some it does. Among the questions raised at Merrill Lynch’s media conference in California and Goldman Sachs’ Communacopia in New York: Will Barry Diller’s IAC (IACI) unload its struggling Home Shopping Network division? Will CBS (CBS) spin off its thriving outdoor advertising business? And if so, would it package in its slower-growth radio unit as well? Will News Corp. (NWS) sell off any more assets once its $5 billion purchase of Dow Jones closes? News Corp. disclosed plans earlier this summer to sell some local Fox TV stations and an international billboard business. Big media enters the spin zone [MediaBiz via CNNmoney.com]