Bus Week publisher says Murdoch likely to get WSJ by end of the year

The Wall Street Journal is likely to lose its independence by the end of the year, and will probably succumb to an enhanced takeover bid by Rupert Murdoch's NewsCorp, according to BusinessWeek publisher John Byrne.

Byrne made the prediction durina a panel on the future of the news media we're attending at the Investment Company Institute's General Membership Meeting in Washington. Also on the panel with Byrne is L. Gordon Crovitz of Dow Jones, who said his company is more comfortable publishing the headlines than being in them.

We'll have some excerpts from the panel in our podcast in the next few days.