Business digest, Feb. 8

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Univision, Disney eye channel in English

Univision and Disney are in talks to create a 24-hour news channel for Latinos in English, two people close to the negotiations said Monday.The goal would be to begin broadcasting before the November presidential election. Hispanics are considered influential swing voters in states like Florida, New Mexico and Colorado. Univision is the nation's largest Spanish-language media company.

Consumers take on more debt

Americans accelerated their borrowing in December for the second straight month, running up more credit card debt and taking out loans to buy cars and attend school. Consumer borrowing rose by $19.3 billion in December after a $20.4 billion gain in November. The two increases were the biggest monthly gains in a decade. Total consumer borrowing is now at a seasonally adjusted $2.5 trillion. That nearly matches the pre-recession borrowing level.

McDonald's apologizes for pit-bull ad

McDonald's has apologized and pulled an ad that came back to bite it. The ad said eating a Chicken McBite was less risky than petting a stray pit bull, shaving your head, naming your son Sue or giving friends your Facebook password. It enraged pit bull owners and their supporters. The radio ad for Chicken McBites ran for a few days only in the Kansas City area before the complaints started. The campaign against the ad circulated on social media sites, and the apology was delivered the same way. People who called a toll-free number got a recorded apology.

Job openings at 3-year high

The number of available jobs in the United States jumped in December to near a three-year high, supporting other data that show a brighter outlook for hiring. The Labor Department said companies and governments posted 3.38 million jobs in December. That's up from the 3.12 million advertised in November and nearly matches the three-year high reached in September.

— From wire reports

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