* CME among several foreign bidders for TV Puls - source
* Disney also a possible bidder - source
* CME not immediately available, Puls declines to comment
* CME shares rise as much as 3.4 pct in Prague
(Adds details, PMPG, shares)
By Adrian Krajewski and Chris Borowski
WARSAW, Aug 14 (Reuters) - TV group Central European Media
Enterprises <CETV.O><> is among the bidders for a stake
in Polish broadcaster Puls after Rupert Murdoch's News Corp
<NWSA.O> pulled out last year, a source told Reuters on Friday.
"CME is among the bidders in negotiations to buy a stake in
TV Puls," said a source close to the talks who asked not to be
named.
CME, whose largest shareholder is Time Warner <TWX.N> after
it bought a 31-percent stake earlier this year, was not
immediately available for comment.
The Bermuda-based company is present in seven central and
east European countries, but has been absent from Poland, the
region's largest economy, since pulling out of broadcaster TVN
<TVNN.WA> a decade ago after falling out with local founders.
Its shares rose as much as 3.4 percent in Prague trade and
were 2.7 percent higher by 1254 GMT. The stock is also listed on
New York's Nasdaq.
Dariusz Dabski, the head of Puls and its second-largest
shareholder, declined to confirm CME's interest. The station is
controlled by the Franciscan order.
"I can only confirm that we are in talks with (Polish media
company) Point Group (PMPG) <PEKP.WA>, which already revealed
its participation, as well as other companies, also foreign
groups," Dabski told Reuters.
The head of PPMG told Reuters CME and Walt Disney Co.
<DIS.N>, may be among parties interested in entering the Polish
market with a controlling stake in Puls.
Walt Disney was not immediately available for comment.
NEWS CORP'S SOURED INVESTMENT
News Corp invested more than $50 million in Puls only to
give up its 35-percent stake last year when it failed to boost
its weak ratings and take market share from private stations TVN
and Polsat, and the public broadcaster.
Poland has seen its advertising market shrink by an
estimated 16 percent to 1.8 billion zlotys in the first half due
to the global crisis, but its size and lack of large foreign
players make it an attractive target for some of them.
Some market watchers speculate that TVN may also soon be in
play after it dumped the son of one of the founders from the top
post and replaced him with an industry insider from Murdoch's
media empire on Thursday. []
(Additional reporting by Agnieszka Barteczko in Warsaw and
Jason Hovet in Prague; editing by Will Waterman and Simon
Jessop)
