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MEDIA: OLD & NEW (5#) -

# TRIBUNE CO: *Double-digit drops in revenue and cash flow at the Los Angeles Times as well as deteriorating results at other newspapers have heightened speculation about the potential for the Zell transaction to collapse before the planned closing late this year... raising the possibility that at least some of its 11 daily newspapers and 23 TV stations also may need to be divested to reduce debt.* The SF Sun-Sentinel is a Tribune newspaper. [e&p]

# Tampa's Creative Loafing Alt-Weekly is acquiring the Chicago Reader and the Washington City Paper. [e&p] - [blrbx]

# Ivor Tossell contends: "It's the irritating parts of the blogosphere that insist on being the standard-bearers for the movement... As a rule of thumb, the more disgruntled a blog is, the more vehemently it proclaims its status as the media of the future... People want the same thing from blogs that they want from every other print outlet: a good read." And then he gives a list of some blogs he enjoys. [gmail]

# Jonathan Abrams reports that bloggers in California are taking aim at city governments and hitting home. "Some websites are watchdogs, others are just scurrilous, but their influence on the cities they cover is growing." For some local politicians, blogs can be a royal pain in the neck. [latimes]

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