By itself, today’s ruling just gives the Tribune the ability to go private, keeping its portfolio intact for awhile, pending other FCC actions and court appeals. In FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein’s words opposing the waiver, “The Order employs certain novel, ill-advised and back-breaking legal gymnastics that will surely leave observers with their heads spinning.” That’s certainly true, but I’ll leave those gymnastics to other observers, focusing instead on the media and journalism implications of what we’re seeing

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http://www.contentbridges.com/2007/11/think-of-fcc-ch.html

Political patronage

Zell has donated to both Republican and Democratic candidates – with more money going to the former – as well as to lobbying groups representing the real estate industry. According to an analysis of Federal Election Commission records by the Center for Public Integrity, “Zell has given more than $100,000 in political contributions since the 1998 election cycle, most of it supporting Republican causes.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Zell

December 20, 2007

Impressive Corporate Network Backs Sam Zell As He Takes Tribune Private

http://www.newsvisual.com/newsvisual/2007/12/sam-zell.html

February 8th, 2007

The Blackstone Group Buys Out Equity Office For 23 Billion Dollars

The Blackstone Group finally completed the aquisition of Sam Zell’s Equity Office Properties Trust for a 23 Billion dollar buyout and assumption of 16 billion more in debt. They were locked in a bidding war with Vornado Trust and finally came out on top in a brutal fight for the company. Many experts are wondering whether Blackstone chased this deal to high as the price, but famous investor Sam Zell is laughing all the way to the bank.

Are you going to try to visit the site? As of the October 24 satellite picture, two or three of the buildings around the former big one were still there. Even if they don’t contain truth, there might be some useful insight to be gained.

I do not believe for one nanosecond the Israeli story that they bombed a nuclear facility, nor will I ever believe it absent some real, actual evidence, which I promise will not be forthcoming because it just doesn’t exist.

Nevermind that Bush supports the NIE’s conclusions, even as he continues to lie about Iran’s WMD capabilities or lack of.

I mean, what’s it going to take? Novak is a hack, a liar, and a traitor. Yet he’s still treated as a serious pundit by all the serious people in DC!?

Soon, they are only watching Faux, and only listening to Limbaugh. These sources make enough sense of their views that, if you don’t think much anyway, you begin to see the sense they make. Such views are at least comforting, because the seductive simplicity of us-or-them is a handy antidote to the real world’s increasingly toxic complexity.

After one makes such a faustian bargain, trading common sense for the security of Rightness, and someone like Hoekstra tells you something you basically already know, as that anyone not supporting the Fantasy Presidency is supporting Al Qaeda, you don’t even need to check such an obvious fact before putting it in a column.

Ask Michelle Malkin, Ms. Righteous Vitriol herself.

How great is he?

Just ask him; he’ll tell you. At length.

We can probably expect his career to resurge with Sam Zell’s acquisition of a bully pulpit; too bad it’ll also mean the death of another LA paper as a legitimate news outlet.

nevertheless, thank you for your continued analysis. i hope you have a merry christmas and a happy new year. happy holidays!

To me, what is fascinating about the attacks by No-Facts and his fellow members of the Paranoid Right on the CIA as being an out-of-control operation that is a threat to America’s best interests is that this exactly the image of the CIA that for decades had been peddled by the Paranoid Right and mocked by No-Facts and his ilk.

priceless.