COMPANY TOWN ANNEX

Viacom and Tele-Communications Ponder Joint Ventures: Sources said the two cable companies are very close to structuring an agreement to settle their legal disputes, though formally agreeing to a deal could take more than 30 days as the companies await final rules on cable rates from the FCC. Viacom is weighing proposals to place its West Coast cable systems in San Francisco and nearby Marin County and in Puget Sound, Wash., in an operating joint venture with Tele-Communications Inc., while in the East, Viacom Inc. may place its Nashville system in a joint venture with TCI’s 31%-owned Intermedia Partners, which owns systems in Knoxville and west Tennessee. A West Coast joint venture alone could save $30 million to $40 million in operating costs, a source said.