No blood in...whoa!

Yes, there've been some ups and downs here at the Philadelphia newspapers these last few years, but it could have been worse.

Consider newspaper bankruptcy, the Chicago Way.

In January 2008, soon after the venerable Tribune Company was sold for $8.2 billion, Randy Michaels, a new top executive, ran into several other senior colleagues at the InterContinental Hotel next to the Tribune Tower in Chicago.

Mr. Michaels, a former radio executive and disc jockey, had been handpicked by Sam Zell, a billionaire who was the new controlling shareholder, to run much of the media company's vast collection of properties, including The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, WGN America and The Chicago Cubs.

After Mr. Michaels arrived, according to two people at the bar that night, he sat down and said, "watch this," and offered the waitress $100 to show him her breasts. The group sat dumbfounded.

The article's long, but worth a read -- there's a part where Blago looks like the virtuous one in his dealings with Tribune owner Sam Zell.