If the News Corporation or SBC were to acquire the entire unit, the price could easily surpass $10 billion.

It also noted that Third Avenue expressed no interest in acquiring the unit during the six-month sale process.

Castle & Cooke may sell its Dole Food subsidiary after several companies expressed interest in acquiring the unit.

Comcast has already signed a confidentiality deal with AT&T as it, too, vies to acquire the unit.

That announcement emboldened other cable and media companies to consider trying to acquire the unit.

Centrica acquired the unit in 1999 for £1.1 billion, but has since decided to focus on its core business of energy delivery.

The council had acquired the unit and planned to demolish it for the extension to Kennington Park.

Citicorp, which acquired the unit in January 1988, said the transaction, expected to be completed in the second quarter, would have little impact on its profits.

Corning was initially interested in acquiring the unit but decided not to pursue a deal out of concern that antitrust officials would oppose it.

Georgetown Partners acquired the unit just as Congress passed a law requiring uniform automobile testing procedures.