Raymond Snoddy says despite the poisoned chalice left to him by Vince Cable, Jeremy Hunt will be in the relatively comfortable position of being able to accept a Competition Commission go-ahead for Murdoch’s takeover of BSkyB before the year is out…

Raymond Snoddy becomes a fortune-teller for the day – “everyone can head off to celebrate Christmas in the queues at Heathrow secure in the knowledge that 2011 is sorted. Well, apart from Vince Cable that is – when a politician becomes totally ridiculous the consequences are always inevitable”…

Raymond Snoddy says (in a whisper) that the BBC might not have done too badly in its licence fee battle with the government – “evidence of this can be seen from the obvious anger coming from Rupert Murdoch’s News International. David Cameron has not delivered on their hopes for a very much smaller BBC – something for which we should all be grateful”…

Raymond Snoddy wonders what Nick Shott will make of ‘Channel 6’. “Is it a cunning attempt to launch a new national channel by the back door? I think we can assume that neither Kelvin MacKenzie nor L!VE TV (or even topless darts) have anything to do with this latest plan, though history rarely repeats itself in such a perfect way”…

Raymond Snoddy says “the Lords Select Committee might come out with a clarion call to abolish CRR but I doubt it; the CC will not wish to re-open the can of worms anytime soon; and while the idea of a wide-ranging investigation into all the dark workings of the advertising business is superficially attractive it is difficult to find anybody who actually wants such a cumbersome and time-consuming thing to happen.”

Raymond Snoddy, says the appointment of Rachel Bristow and Peter Duffy to the board of the Newspaper Marketing Agency marks a clear (and cunning) message to the newspaper industry…

Raymond Snoddy, questions the definition of news – from a shaggy dog story that is more newsy than a Royal engagement to the extent to which TV news is “lead by the nose” by everything from dramatic pictures to stunts manufactured by interest groups to get attention…

Raymond Snoddy asks are we all being had when it comes to Widdy’s Strictly staying-power and constant cheap thrills from the X Factor camp? If so, it is certainly working on the ratings rat race front…

Raymond Snoddy reveals all from the MediaPro conference – GNM is making more money from its online dating service than NI is from Times online; i has only been selling around 125,000 a day; and Lebedev says the Standard and The Independent are “definitely doomed” if they stay as they are…

Raymond Snoddy thinks the launch of i is one sign of a new confidence in print… “The hangdog look has gone and there is mounting evidence that advertising will continue to return – as long as the government doesn’t manage to engineer a double-dip recession”.