Psst, CNBC. Look Behind You

With or without Dow Jones (NYSE: DJ), News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) is moving ahead with an Oct. 15 launch of its Fox Business Network (FBN). The company has already secured distribution to reach 30 million subscribers with expanded basic programming packages from cable providers.

That's only a third of the reach of its own Fox News broadcasts, but it's still an impressive launch pad for the network that is gunning for General Electric 's (NYSE: GE) CNBC.

Moving on without the Dow Jones business brands won't be easy. Fox Business Network could have achieved immediate street cred with the backing of The Wall Street Journal and Barron's in print and MarketWatch in cyberspace.

No, FBN's launch doesn't need the blessing -- and branding -- of Dow Jones. It was landing key distributors such as Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) and its 13 million subscribers long before it made the surprisingly generous bid for Dow Jones. However, having Dow Jones on board obviously wouldn't have hurt.

With smaller properties such as TheStreet.com (Nasdaq: TSCM) seemingly chummy with CNBC and Thomson (NYSE: TOC) in the process of acquiring Reuters (Nasdaq: RTRSY), Dow Jones is the perfect, eligible fit in News Corp.'s master plan of broader business coverage.

With FBN's debut now just three months away, it seems as if Fox -- guided by former CNBC star Neil Cavuto -- has no problem going it alone.