Tribune Holders Approve Deal discusses the Tribune shareholders approval of the $8.2 billion deal to take the company private. Proxy-voting advisers backed the Tribune buyout, while union leaders appeared to oppose the deal. While the deal was expected to be approved, the financing, including $8 billion in loans, was uncertain. Even though the purchase price is valued at $34/share, shares are trading for significantly less.

"Tribune has said it believes the deal will close in the fourth quarter and that financing for the deal is fully committed. Debt financing is being provided by J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Merrill Lynch & Co., Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America Corp….The company plans to sell the Chicago Cubs baseball team and related assets, but officials said there are no plans to sell more of its newspapers."

Here are some prior blog posts related to the Tribune transaction:

• Tribune Challenges/Healthier Employees?/Building a Company Culture (8/3/07)
  
• Should You Consider An ESOP? (6/25/07)
  
• ESOP Testimonial/Tribune Repurchase (4/26/07)
  
• Reasons for ESOP Termination/ESOPs and Economic Development/Next Step in Tribune Transaction (4/24/07)
  
• Chrysler ESOP Proposal/ESOPs in Mergers and Acquisitions (4/16/07)
  
• ESOP Companies are More Productive (4/10/07)
  
• Tribune Sale Coverage - Unfair Representation of ESOPs (4/4/07)
  
• The Tribune Goes Private in an ESOP Transaction (4/3/07)
  
• Tribune Proposal Update (3/31/07)
  
• New DOL Regulation/Tribune ESOP Update (3/12/07)
  
• Tribune Company/ESOP Update (3/3/07)
  
• Proposed Transaction to Structure a Buyout Around an ESOP (2/27/07)
  

Exit Strategy

The Retirement Plan Blog discusses the baby boomers that will be looking for an exit strategy in the next twenty years. Here are some links to some recent succession planning discussions:

Benefits of Succession Planning/Free Basic Financial Education

Succession Planning

Here is a link to a list of generations (e.g. baby boomers, generation X).