For those of us who have been protesting for years what the Tribune company has been getting away with, seeing the recent series of events calling for a Tribune sale or breakup has been something of an early Christmas present.

One point that is being missed amid the coverage of the Tribune eating its own limbs is that the Tribune was long an advocate for the repeal of the FCC's controversial media ownership rules -- particularly the cross-ownership rule which the Tribune openly violated. The Tribune lobbied hard to get the rules repealed, and little wonder since there was so much cash at stake. (One of those who voted in favor of their repeal just got a renewed five-year term at the FCC.)

But groups like CMA (undercovered, underfunded, climbing uphill) worked to make the media ownership rules an issue, and succeeded, and in so doing laid the foundation for foiling the FCC's grand plan. Corporations like the Tribune gambled, and lost, and were expecting the rules to change to their favor to keep up their levels of growth. But they didn't, even though the FCC is motioning to try again. And witness the result...

If the Tribune wants to try again, let me invoke the lyrics of a certain Pat Benatar song.

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