Media conglomerate Tribune Co. has filed for bankruptcy protection, pressured by high debts.
The Chicago Tribune's parent company was working with bankruptcy advisers at investment bank Lazard and law firm Sidley Austin to weigh financial options, sources told the Chicago Tribune for this morning's paper.
Tribune Co. has been struggling under a $13 billion debt load since real estate magnate Sam Zell took the company private last December in an $8.2 billion leveraged buyout. The company faces a deadline today on $70 million of unsecured debt it took on before Zell's deal.
In a news release, the company said The Chicago Cubs franchise, including Wrigley Field, was not included in the Chapter 11 filing. Efforts to monetize the Cubs and its related assets will continue, the company said.
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/tribune-files-for-bankruptcy.html
