• LA Weekly, Friday, September 29, 2006 1:15 PM

Not long after Dean Baquet became editor of the Los Angeles Times, entertainment mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg sought a meet-and-greet. And it was during lunch that Katzenberg purposefully let slip the news that his DreamWorks partner David Geffen wanted to buy the newspaper. Baquet was shocked, reportedly saying: "How's he going to feel the first time we review a movie or music produced by a friend of his?" That was last year, and Geffen's pursuit of the Tribune Co.'s property has continued--and not just because the paper's 20 percent profit margin is so much better than the 6 percent earned on bonds. The newspaper's reporter says: "I'm told he's "very serious" and "pretty confident" about purchasing it someday soon." While a growing list of local zillionaires is lining up for a shot at the Times, anyone familiar with Hollywood knows how relentless Geffen can be.

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