Glen Beck signs

$100 million deal

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck has signed a five-year, $100 million contract to continue his morning radio show with syndicator Premiere Networks. It marks a big pay bump for Beck. His last contract in 2007 with the Clear Channel subsidiary was reportedly for $10 million a year. Beck's program is the nation's third-highest rated radio show.

Online ad

sales soar

An industry group says Internet advertising in the U.S. hit $8.4 billion in the first quarter of 2011. That's the highest ever for the period, up 15 percent from $7.3 billion last year, the Interactive Advertising Bureau said. The record for any quarter is $9 billion, in the final three months of 2011.

Growth slows

for Facebook

Facebook's growth appears to be slowing, particularly in the U.S., according to the Wall Street Journal. Unique U.S. visitors to the popular social media site rose 5 percent in April, to 158 million, according to data attributed to comScore. That's the slowest growth rate since comScore started tracking data in 2008.

Insurer to stick

with health act

Health insurer UnitedHealth Group said Monday it will preserve some provisions of the health care overhaul, even if the law fails to survive an upcoming Supreme Court ruling. They include portions related to coverage of preventive care, such as imunizations and dependent coverage offered for adult children up to age 26.

Private equity

beat stocks

U.S. private equity investments outperformed stocks in 2011, and distributions to investors reached a record as fund managers sold long-held assets, market research firm Cambridge Associates said. The company's Private Equity Index returned 10.9 percent in 2011, compared with 8.4 percent for the Dow.

Pension funds

sue Walmart

A group of New York City pension funds is suing current and former Wal-Mart executives, saying they mishandled an alleged bribery scheme. The group's lawsuit, known as "derivative action," is not aimed at reaping a big financial reward but to change the way a company is run. The funds own 5.6 million Walmart shares.

Airline profit

outlook thins

The International Air Transport Association nearly doubled its forecast of European airlines' losses this year, to $1.1 billion, and said Monday the worldwide industry will scrape by with wafer-thin profit margins because of high fuel prices. U.S. and Asian carriers should make money this year, but more airlines in Europe might stumble if the European financial crisis worsens, the global aviation trade group said.