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 Cox Communications Inc. (NYSE:COX) may soon have some extra travel money in its pocket as the auction for its Travel Channel Media cable network approaches a finale. Multiple sources tell Bloomberg that front-runners News Corp. (NASDAQ:NWSA) and Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. (NYSE:SNI) made offers of about $800 million for a 65% stake in the channel. (The Deal Pipeline subscribers can see all the auction data here.) Other potential bidders for the channel are Time Warner Inc. (NYSE:TWX), General Electric Co.'s (NYSE:GE) NBC Universal Inc., IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ:IACI) and buyout shop Providence Equity Partners Inc. One of the parties could be chosen for exclusive negotiations as early as Wednesday, the Bloomberg report said. The last high-profile auction for a standalone niche channel involved the Weather Channel, which sold for $3.5 billion in July 2008. Despite Travel Channel having 99.1 million subscribers compared to the Weather Channel's 84.1 million, it won't draw as high a sales price because some experts say the Cox-owned property has a weaker brand positioning on the Internet. The Weather Channel says Weather.com attracts 41 million unique visitors per month while some rough estimates put Travel Channel's Web site at 1.3 million. - George White Also see: Travel Channel bids upgrading from coach
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