Idle Chatter: A Lifeline for Mel; Google Radio R.I.P.

-Sirius XM may submit itself to Charles Ergen's tender mercies after all now that the satellite TV mogul has agreed to let Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin keep his job after Ergen takes control. Sirius's other options are bankruptcy or cutting a deal with Liberty Media. [WSJ]

-The Federal Trade Commission wants web companies to conform to voluntary guidelines governing their use of the data they gather by tracking consumers' activities online. [WSJ]

-Parade chairman and CEO Walter Anderson is stepping down after three decades running the Sunday magazine in one way or another. (He was its editor for 20 years before becoming CEO in 2000.) [NYP]

-Google is getting out of the business of selling ads on over-the-air radio, just a few weeks after it shut down a similar program selling newspaper ads. [PaidContent]

-Fox is experimenting with shorter commercial breaks to see if that will discourage viewers from fast-forwarding through the commercials or changing the channel. The results have been middling, although Fox has been able to charge more for the spots. [NYT]