[JerseyHighlander]

The scary part is Sam Zell and David Geffen have similar intentions regarding using the media assets of the Tribune Company (and the LATimes when Geffen eventually buys it) to shape and censor the public discourse to their likings.

Of course Berlusconi has a much greater media empire and has much less competition from the internet in Italian language news and opinion media.

Italy: Internet Usage and Population Statistics:

YEAR	Users	Population	% Pop.	Usage Source
2000	13,200,000	57,989,900	22.8 %
2004	28,610,000	58,608,565	48.8 %
2007	32,190,658	59,546,696	54.1 %	Nielsen N//R

[Mike Darancette]

(and the LATimes when Geffen eventually buys it)

Out here in the Inland Empire (east of LA) the Times is chewing it and they are even removing a lot of their boxes. The Local papers are doing quite well.