Media Column

Whittle Communications has received a financial boost that should help it expand its "Channel One" classroom television news show and provide money for the research phase of its planned chain of private schools.

The Knoxville, Tenn.-based media firm announced this month that Phillips Electronics N.V., a consumer electronics manufacturer based in the Netherlands, would acquire a 25 percent stake in Whittle for $175 million.

The deal would shrink the stakes of all current stockholders of the limited partnership. Time Warner Inc., the U.S. media conglomerate that holds the biggest share of Whittle, will see its stake fall from 50...