Last month, GE and Pearson were exploring the heady notion of a joint bid for Dow Jones, ultimately a no go. Now the WSJ is reporting that GE’s CNBC and Pearson’s Financial Times Group are talking about a much lower-level collaboration: sharing some news resources to “bolster” their online operations. One option, according to the Journal, would give ft.com access to CNBC video clips, while CNBC would have access to FT articles for cnbc.com. Whatever the format, a deal could help each cope should Rupert Murdoch and News Corp. wind up with Dow Jones: already facing the October launch of Fox Business News, CNBC could see the breakup of its long-term content-sharing relationship with the WSJ, while the FT would have an even more formidable competitor globally. The FT already has an uphill battle online, with paying subs that equal about 10 percent of wsj.com’s 931,000 paying customers.

WSJ: “The current negotiations between the Financial Times Group and CNBC are highly likely to lead to a commercial arrangement between the companies but there are no discussions about combining any of their operations, a person familiar with the situation said.” No imminent announcement , according to that source.

• NWS-DJ: GE Won’t Pursue Bid For Dow Jones; Pearson Gives In But May Try Other Combos