The latest corporate maneuvering has New York-based Verizon Communications Inc., the nation's largest phone company with more than 114 million wireless subscribers, possibly pairing up with Connecticut-based Charter Communications, which has more than 17 million customers in such key markets as Los Angeles, New York and Dallas.

Verizon recently approached a Charter board member to discuss the possibility of combining. The discussion was preliminary and there is no certainty that such a tie-up will occur, people close to the companies cautioned Thursday.

However, this romance and others appear to be blooming one week after President Trump took office and designated a new Federal Communications Commission chairman who favors a more hands-off approach to government regulation than his predecessor.

Traditional media companies desperate for growth don't want to get left behind as rivals bulk up in an effort to survive a more difficult environment.