Filed under: Earnings reports, Deals, Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), Yahoo! (YHOO)

All eyes will be on Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) as it reports quarterly results later this day.

Analysts are expecting profit of 9 cents on revenue excluding payments to partners of $1.32 billion, according to Thomson Financial. But that’s secondary.

Wall Street wants Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang to prove why the Internet portal is worth more than the $31 per share Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has offered. To state investors are skeptical that the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company can do any better is an understatement.

“They’re just trying to save some face and extract some value out of it for shareholder,” said RBC Capital Markets analyst Ross Sandler in an interview with Bloomberg News.

Indeed, Bloomberg points out that Yahoo’s net income probably fell for the ninth straight quarter. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the results — whatever they may be — won’t affect Yahoo’s value to the software giant. Though he hasn’t ruled out LOWERING Microsoft’s bid, chances are remote that will happen.
Meanwhile, Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has off course done much superior and last week reported results that handily beat Wall Street expectations. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the results — whatever they might be — won’t affect Yahoo’s value to the software giant.

Yang is heading into shark-infested waters on the earnings conference call. Analysts and investors are going to want to know how the company is being hurt by the economic downturn. Are companies slicing their marketing spending? Are they demanding steeper rate cuts?

The real question that Yang will need to answer, though, is what superior idea do you’ve to secure Yahoo’s future than the $44.6 billion deal from Microsoft. That would require him to pull a rabbit out of his hat that would leave Wall Street stunned and amazed. Chances of that happening are remote.

Yahoo will eventually take Microsoft’s money and run. It’s just a question of timing.

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Filed under: Deals, Industry, New York Times’A’ (NYT), News Corp’B’ (NWS)

It appears that News Corp (NYSE: NWS) will purchase the largest newspaper on Long Island, Newsday, from The Tribune Co., increasing pressure on The New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) in its home market. News Corp already owns The New York Post. Recent press reports indicate that News Corp is adding more political and international content to The Wall Street Journal to better compete with the Times.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the price for Newsday could be about $580 million, and final details of the purchase or lack of government approval could still kill the deal.

Tribune needs to make the sale to cover debt it took on in its LBO.

The news is especially bad for The New York Times Co. While the Post does not take much advertising from the Times, it does have a circulation of over 600,000 in New York City. Newsday has a daily circulation of about 400,000 in the well-to-do area of Long Island, just east of New York.

The New York Times is already in enough trouble. It posted a loss last quarter, and in March advertising revenue fell about 11%. The firm’s stock trades at $20, but many observers believe that it it were not the target of investors who hope to break it up or sell it that the shares price would be much lower.

The value of the company just got undermined again.

Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.

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