Zell and his pals

As long as the Tribune CEO keeps dangling Newsday, he's certain to find friends. NY Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman upped his offer for the Long Island newspaper this afternoon, matching Rupert Murdoch's reported $580 million bid. No specifics on what the offer includes - specifically whether it provides the types of tax breaks that Murdoch was said to be offering Zell. (Tax considerations are all-important to Sam.) And let's not rule out two other possible bidders: Long Island cable operator Cablevision Systems Corp. and Jared Kushner, owner of the New York Observer. The betting is still with Murdoch, despite the potential regulatory hurdles of owning two dailies in the same market.(AP, WSJ)