They drive the Tribune Co. into the ground. Writes Dan Kennedy:
More than anything, though, it serves as a report card on the truly odd duo running Tribune these days: Sam Zell, a foul-mouthed Chicago real-estate tycoon who, in 2007, bought the already-debt-burdened chain with borrowed money; and Lee Abrams, the loopy radio guru Zell brought in to reinvent a business that Zell himself apparently holds in contempt.
For the record, Zell was also a player in the radio biz; he once owned Jacor where he gave Randy Michaels his big break. Michaels has also helped to steer Tribune right onto the rocks.