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Workers plant rice at a co-op farm in Nampo, North Korea, on May 12. The North Korean leadership has given indications that it may be preparing to implement measures to liberalize the country's economy.

Workers plant rice at a co-op farm in Nampo, North Korea, on May 12. The North Korean leadership has given indications that it may be preparing to implement measures to liberalize the country's economy.

An unusual parliamentary meeting is due to open Tuesday in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, amid speculation of sweeping changes ahead. In the first such confirmation from within the country, farmers told The Associated Press they would be given more control over their crops under new agricultural rules. Long seen as an economic basket case, North Korea now could be on the cusp of economic change.

A recent state television broadcast shows North Korea's young leader, Kim Jong Un, with a straw hat jauntily perched on his head, visiting a collective farm, examining a group of skinny cows. Nobody knows for sure what's happening inside North Korea, but the country may be on the verge of something big.

One recent pilot program allowed some farmers to keep 30 percent of their crops, instead of giving almost everything to the state as in the past. It also shrunk collective farms to just three or four people, according to Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) visits the Pyongyang Vegetable Science Institute in the country's capital in this undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via the Korean News Service on Sept. 22.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (center) visits the Pyongyang Vegetable Science Institute in the country's capital in this undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) via the Korean News Service on Sept. 22.

"It's very important. They're making the family unit into the major, official production unit in state-run collective farms," he says.

Change Happening On The Ground

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Signs Emerge Of Economic Change In North Korea

Re "Romney tries to stem damage from controversy" (Sept. 19):

It gets a little tiresome to hear the mainstream media say that Mitt Romney is undertaking damage control regarding his remarks concerning half the U.S. population. There is no damage control going on or is it needed when one speaks the truth. It appears that the mainstream media cannot stand to hear the truth and will attempt to marginalize those who speak it if it does not jibe with their version. The American public would do well to pay attention to what is said, especially when it is backed up by facts as is the case of Mr. Romney's remarks.

-- Lawrence A. Calabro, Northridge

The video that revealed an "off the cuff" statement by presidential candidate Mitt Romney regarding how he felt about a majority of Americans believing themselves to be victims when it comes to wanting government support is important to hear prior to the elections. Even if he felt those words were not communicated as elegantly as he would have preferred, they still reflect an elitist attitude that does not favor the middle and lower economic classes. It reminds me of a recent disagreement that I had with a Republican who criticized me for not thinking "rich enough" because I supported Obama. I replied with comments that seemed relevant to Romney's video "faux pas" - that I do

-- Isadora Johnson, Seal Beach

-- Marjorie Eisenberg, West Hills

-- Irving Leemon, Northridge

-- Robert Reilly, Long Beach

Is NASA so ashamed of GM, Ford and Chrysler not to select an American (icon) motor vehicle company to transport Endeavour through the streets of Los Angeles to its new and final home at California Science Center? CSC may have a "marketing arrangement" with Toyota, but NASA still owns and controls the shuttle until final release to the CSC. Endeavour should be pulled by a Detroit pickup with a large billboard in its bed listing all U.S. contractors that built this marvelous vehicle. So NASA, what form of political correctness is on display here?

-- Mario Marchisio, Rancho Palos Verdes

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No damage control necessary for Mitt Romney

Referenced Stocks: CBS, DIS, NWS, TWX, VIA

News Corp's ( NWS ) $2 billion bid for Consolidated Media holdings last week will give the company control of Fox Sports in Australia and 50% ownership of Foxtel, which has near monopoly in the Australian pay-TV market. The company's current structure includes Fox Sports in the U.S. and some other countries along with the control of Sky Italia, which is a dominant pay-TV subscription service in Italy. The publishing business is going to separate soon and News Corp will focus entirely on media networks, films and pay-TV services internationally.

See our complete analysis for News Corp

The Strategic Advantage Of The Deal

Sports programming is a lucrative business and ESPN represents gold standard in the industry. Despite Disney ( DIS ) being a diversified media giant in terms of businesses it deals in, ESPN alone contributes close to 45% to Disney's value. This is due to high pay-TV penetration and high fee per subscriber charged by ESPN. Similarly, Fox Sports is critical to News Corp. Just in the U.S. alone, Fox Sports earns approximately $2.5 billion in annual revenues from subscriptions, thus contributing close to 15% to News Corp's stock.

Therefore, it makes sense for the company to aggressively pursue the sports programming market and getting full control of Fox Sports in the Australian market is the right move. A multitude of international media networks are result of joint ventures between big media companies from the U.S. and local media players. Wherever it makes sense, News Corp will try to convert these joint ventures to full ownerships. Sports programming is one such area given the high fee per subscriber potential and sustained demand among the viewers.

As far as Sky Italia is concerned, the value contribution is low. However Foxtel's story could be different since the company almost has a near monopoly over the Australian pay-TV market. News Corp could use this to its advantage given that it owns content as well, and continue to maintain that monopoly. It could also push on-demand content from its library and thus charge additional fee from subscribers.

Australian Market Is Small

Even though upscale, the overall market is small in Australia given its low population. The Australian population is less than 10% of the U.S. population and that renders the overall revenue potential a little low in comparison to many other potential markets. Additionally, it is not yet clear whether News Corp will be able to actually acquire Consolidated Media with its bid and it is likely that it may face some challenge from other bidders.

Our current price estimate for News Corp which stands at $26.50 , implying a premium of about 10% to the market price.

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News Corp's Conslidated Media Bid Is All About Sports And Pay-TV

Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin expects to leave after Liberty Media takes over. (Associated Press)

Sirius XM Radio Inc. Chief Executive Mel Karmazin said he would likely leave the company when Liberty Media takes control of the satellite radio broadcaster.

Liberty, the largest shareholder in SiriusXM, currently holds just under 50% of the stock and has already told the Federal Communications Commission that it plans to acquire more than that and would like the regulatory agency to approve it as the outright owner when that happens.

Speaking at the Merrill Lynch Media, Communications and Entertainment Conference in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, Karmazin said he is willing to talk about staying but added, "If I were Liberty I would say, 'I'm not sure we need Mel.'"

Karmazin's contract with SiriusXM is up at the end of the year. He said he has had no negotiations with Liberty about a new deal in part because he thought doing so might suggest that he was not acting in the best interests of SiriusXM's other shareholders. SiriusXM has tried to fight the takeover in part because Karmazin feels Liberty is getting it without paying a premium.

While Karmazin said he is "open to having a conversation" about staying after the likely takeover, "my instincts today are Liberty does not need me at the company."

Asked what Liberty's ultimate plans for SiriusXM are, Karmazin said, "we really don't know what exactly their interest is ... they are not talking to us." Speculation is that Liberty will spin off SiriusXM to Liberty shareholders.

ALSO:

Liberty Media clears path to control of Sirius XM

SiriusXM fights Liberty takeover move

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Sirius XM CEO Mel Karmazin expects to leave after Liberty takeover

Scott Wintrow/Getty Images

Liberty Media could announce as early as Wednesday that it has acquired a controlling stake in Sirius XM Radio, the satellite services CEO Mel Karmazin said. He also indicated that Liberty might not want him around much longer.

My instincts today are that Liberty does not need me, Karmazin said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference in Los Angeles.

I have historically been expensive, and, you know, its very clear to me that if I were Liberty, I would sit there and say, Im not sure we need Mel. And thats OK with Mel, he said, referring to himself in the third person.

STORY: John Malone's Liberty Media Boosts Sirius XM Stake to 49.7 Percent

Karmazins contract as CEO of Sirius XM runs through the end of the year. Liberty has been purchasing shares on the open market, driving the stock higher in recent months. Between the recently acquired shares and the preferred stock it already had, Liberty owns slightly less than 50 percent of the company, according to a recent filing.

Karmazin said he has had little contact with Libertys John Malone or its CEO, Greg Maffei, since Liberty began its quest in May to control Sirius XM -- not when Liberty tried unsuccessfully to get de facto control and not since it began purchasing large chunks of stock.

Liberty and we have not been having any conversations at all about what they are going to do, Karmazin said. He speculated, though, that Liberty would install a new board of directors and retain the company's current auditors.

STORY: Mel Karmazin Paid $10.7 Million in 2011

Karmazin said he plans to stick around while control for the company remains in flux, but he will not negotiate a new contract during these uncertain times for the company because he wants to avoid the appearance of conspiring against minority shareholders.

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Mel Karmazin Speculates His Reign as Sirius XM Radio CEO Will End Soon