The Slog is picking up rumours suggesting that The Times and Sunday Times are being discreetly offered for sale

It would seem unlikely – odd, even – at first sight. But on the other hand, given The Slog’s continuing conviction that Murdoch is planning a diverse web-portal at various levels of subscription, it would make life easier if everything called ‘news entertainment’ that he owned was, in the end, on line. (This wouldn’t apply to The Sun, as Newscorp has yet to crack the task of teaching the readers how to switch on a laptop.)

As of last night, I had been fed the rumour three times – on every occasion by senior media professionals. Although content micro-charging has been bandied about for some time as the Holy Graille of online business models, sources close to Roop tell me that the old man doesn’t buy the idea. He could be right.

The plans for a Murdochania portal are (we understand) well-advanced. As a concept, it would be a sort of serious news/silly telly/documentary/sport mixture – with subscription as the lead revenue generator. It makes eminent sense, therefore, for the world’s most eclectic nationality to offload his Thunderers, making up the lost cover-price and ad revenue by including an excellent news product (called something else)within the subscription charge online.

Needless to say, it’d have to be better than the current electronic offering, but that should be achievable without running out of breath.

Come along Wapping watchers….Statcounter tells me you’re out there: what do you think? Is this a story with legs, or just another rumour of clay feet?