Sam Zell and the Tribune

Fascinating Business Week story on Sam Zell and the Chicago Tribune Co. It asks the question: What would have happened if someone else had bought the company? It dances around a couple of key questions, I think. First, the question of whether Zell, a real estate tycoon, and his executives, all with limited or no print experience, are competent to deal with a company where its eight newspapers provided 76 percent of the company's revenues. So far, the moves don't overwhelm. Second is the, to me anyway, intriguing question of whether these outsiders can effectively innovate. As I've said in the past, I haven't seen the industry movers and shakers lead the media revolution. Maybe outsiders can do better.