The Koch Bros are planning to substantially increase their involvement in party affairs. Mr. Koch told the more than 200 guests, many of whom had pumped millions of dollars into the political operation founded by Mr. Koch and his brother David, that there would be no backing down. Phones and electronic devices were banned from some panels, as Koch strategists detailed next year’s electoral battlegrounds and donors committed contributions to particular states or projects. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/us/politics/koch-brothers-plan-more-political-involvement-for-their-conservative-network.html?ref=us An entire universe of conservative super PACs and other groups has expanded in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision.

Koch Industries, the sprawling private company of which Charles G. Koch serves as chairman and chief executive, is exploring a bid to buy the Tribune Company’s eight regional newspapers, including The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, The Orlando Sentinel and The Hartford Courant. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/21/business/media/koch-brothers-making-play-for-tribunes-newspapers.html?pagewanted=all The papers, valued at roughly $623 million, would be a financially diminutive deal for Koch Industries, the energy and manufacturing conglomerate based in Wichita, Kan., with annual revenue of about $115 billion.Politically, however, the papers could serve as a broader platform for the Kochs’ laissez-faire ideas.   “It’s a frightening scenario when a free press is actually a bought and paid-for press” “So far, they haven’t seemed to be particularly enthusiastic about the role of the free press,”