*Is Tribune deal dying?

You have to at least wonder, considering that the stock is down this morning almost 4 percent - and has been on a downward course for the last couple of trading days. Tribune, parent of the LAT, is now trading at $24.75, and just to remind everybody, the Sam Zell-led deal to go private was for $34. In May, Tribune closed on $7 billion to fund the first half of the deal at higher prices and tighter terms than anticipated. Now comes the really tough part - borrowing another $4.2 billion in a market that's not interested in financing anything, much less a company with shrinking ad revenues and cash flow. So what happens if the debt needed to complete the financing is just too expensive? Zell can try and renegotiate or he could just walk - in which case Tribune goes back to square one. It's impossible to know how precarious things are, but the stock activity can't be a great sign. By the way, Tribune shareholders are expected to meet next week to finalize the deal. (24/7 Wall Street, MarketWatch)

*Update: Tribune shares rallied and closed at $25.28, down 1.9 percent for the day. MarketWatch managed to get an unnamed source to say that the deal is moving forward.