NBCU’s CNBC thought it had an online ad strategy in place for Monday’s launch of the Fox Business Network—an intro ad and roadblock for MarketWatch.com, a two-month deal that started Oct.1 for daily ads on the WSJ.com market data page. Don’t look for the ads on Oct. 15, though: last week, Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ) put up a different kind of roadblock, according to the NYT—pulling the ads despite a signed contract. To help get your scorecards straight, Dow Jones is on the verge of being acquired officially by FBN parent News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) but has a long-standing deal with CNBC for some WSJ exclusivity that still has five years to go. CNBC is the entrenched network that has outlasted other competition; FBN is the brash, well-funded newcomer with an older sibling that well knows how to make trouble for entrenched networks. Roger Ailes, chairman of Fox News and FBN, told the NYT’s Bill Carter it’s a David and Goliath story “but you know how that one turned out.” In this case, the slingshot is part of a well-funded arsenal. Meanwhile, CNBC’s Mark Hoffman says he has been fighting off misinformation from Fox.

DJ’s statement to the NYT: “As is standard practice, we retain the right to adjust the precise placement and timing of online advertisements, including to accommodate links from other Web sites.” CNBC’s Alison Gollust: “We have had a 10-year relationship of the highest quality with Dow Jones. As a result, this incident leaves us both surprised and disappointed.” Left unanswered, who made the call to yank CNBC’s ads from sites not even yet owned by News Corp.—and what does it say about changes coming after the deal closes?