Paramount/Viacom: The proposed $3-billion merger of CBS...

Paramount/Viacom: The proposed $3-billion merger of CBS Inc. and home shopping channel QVC Inc. may be getting all the headlines now, but there still are a few loose ends to tie up in another huge deal. Shareholders for Viacom Inc. and Paramount Communications are scheduled to meet separately this week to officially put the stamp of approval on that $10-billion deal. Paramount stockholders are to meet Wednesday in the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, Del., with Viacom’s stockholders gathering the following day at the Equitable Building in New York. Viacom won the battle for Paramount over QVC in March, and now owns 50.1% of the company. Approval on both sides is a formality. But the third part of the deal--a combination with video giant Blockbuster Entertainment--remains all but dead. Blockbuster officials have yet to declare the deal dead, but they have said that it won’t happen unless the value of the stock transaction climbs significantly by Sept. 30. Analysts don’t believe that will happen.