Chicago Tribune

Everybody knows Ann Coulter's routine. She's less a conservative pundit than a professional provocateur, a rhetorical bomb-thrower who flourishes because she's adept at deploying catty remarks and stylized obnoxiousness for right-wing fun and profit. Last week - and not for the first time - Ms. Coulter went too far, calling Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards a "faggot." She delivered this insult not at a fraternity kegger but to the Conservative Political Action Conference, one of the most influential conservative gatherings of the year.

Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell is proposing to participate in a buyout of Tribune Co. in a deal structured around an employee stock ownership plan, several sources close to the situation said Friday. The deal is one of several options being considered by the special committee of independent directors charged with overseeing Tribune's months-long effort to sell or restructure the company. It would create a privately held, highly leveraged company that would be able to take advantage of federal tax breaks associated with employee stock ownership plans, or ESOPs, to provide "a bigger payoff" to existing shareholders than the other restructuring options being studied by the Tribune board, one of the sources said.

He's about 5-foot-5 and has a bald dome and a beard like an Amish farmer. He revels in the nickname he gave himself years ago: "the Grave Dancer." At 65, Chicagoan Samuel Zell is still apt to arrive at a cocktail party by motorcycle and walk in wearing blue jeans and a Chicago Bears jersey. He thinks like an economist but can talk like a dockworker. He has vacation homes on the beach in Malibu, Calif., and on the slopes in Sun Valley, Idaho, where people say he skis like a maniac. He's also a paintball fanatic who Forbes says is worth $4.5 billion.

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It's a cliche of the auto industry: A salesman leans into the face of the tire-kicker and asks, "What would it take to put you into this car today?" Now, Zillow.com is asking the real estate version of the question, with a twist of the phrasing. How much, a homeowner can muse online, would it take to get me out of this house? That's the premise of Make Me Move, a new feature on Zillow.com that lets homeowners post a price - no matter how absurd - that would inspire them to hand over the keys, even if the house isn't really for sale.

ATLANTA -- The best news for Barack Obama's presidential aspirations is a little recent negative press: Accounts of his dealings with a shady real estate developer - stories previously limited to Chicago newspapers and broadcast outlets - have begun seeping into national news reports. That means the junior senator from Illinois is no longer regarded merely as a fascinating sideshow, a black prodigy with an interesting background. He's being taken seriously as a possible presidential candidate.

Several investment companies that are among Tribune Co.'s largest shareholders bought more of the stock in the third quarter, betting on a higher share price for the embattled media giant, financial reports show. Two major investors who raised their stakes in Tribune, which owns the Los Angeles Times, The Sun and the Chicago Tribune among its media holdings, said a sale or breakup now appears inevitable. "I don't think you can put the rabbit back in the hat," said John W. Rogers Jr., chairman of Ariel Capital Management, which owns about 6.6 percent of the company's shares.

Turning up the heat on the already simmering auction for the assets of Chicago-based Tribune Co., Gannett Co., the nation's largest newspaper publisher, has emerged as a possible bidder for Tribune's newspaper properties, the Chicago Tribune learned yesterday. Executives from the McLean, Va.-based media giant, which publishes 90 U.S. newspapers, including top-read USA Today, were in Chicago last week to hear presentations on Tribune's financial condition, two sources close to the situation said.

LOS ANGELES -- In a sign that Tribune Co. may be preparing to exit the broadcast TV business, the company's investment bankers have begun offering its premier TV stations - KTLA Channel 5 in Los Angeles, WPIX in New York and WGN in Chicago - to selected potential buyers. One reason it is shopping the stations is the pending expiration of broadcast licenses. KTLA's eight-year license expires Dec. 1, at which time Tribune could be found in violation of Federal Communications Commission regulations banning ownership of a newspaper and a broadcast outlet in the same market, because it also owns the Los Angeles Times.

(Last week's ranking in parentheses) 1. Chicago (2) Excelling in every phase of the game. 2. Indianapolis (1) Looks like Colts are coasting already. 3. Denver (7) Won battle of defenses Monday. 4. New England (4) Not bad for a "rebuilding" team. 5. Philadelphia (10) Eagles getting swagger back fast. 6. San Diego (8) Philip Rivers will only get better. 7. Ravens (3) Meet one of NFC's elite today. 8. Seattle (5) Will face test in St. Louis. 9. Cincinnati (6) Needs to rebound from big loss.