Fast-tracking Tribune sale

Will the future of the Tribune Co. be sorted out in just a few weeks? With every new bidder or potential bidder entering the auction process, it's hard to believe the board will be in a position to vote on anything by the end of the year (that had been the plan). Suddenly, Tribune is getting interest from several new parties, ranging from Gannett Co. (notorious tire kickers) to former AIG Chairman Hank Greenberg, of all people (that's almost as ridiculous as Jack Welch bidding on the Boston Globe). And of course, there's our local contingent - Broad, Burkle and Geffen. Plus, the Tribune management (maybe). That's a lot to plow through in just a few weeks, especially if the decision is made to break up the company. The Greenberg development might have some nasty implications for Tribune newsrooms; Greenberg was not happy with the way he was covered in the media during the AIG accounting scandal that forced him out a few years back. My bet is that the decision will drag well into next year - unless one of these characters is head and shoulders above the others on price and this is all just window-dressing. WSJ NYT