Trib Punts Zorn Over to Typepad

Eric Zorn's blog has moved from the Chicago Tribune's servers to Typepad's. Is it just me, or is there something odd about a newspaper that had operating revenues of more than $800 million last year, and operates a website that, as the Tribune often brags, was one of the first newspaper online offerings, and maintains a dedicated staff of online-only personnel, is using a $4.95/month web-based service to host a blog?

I guess it kind of makes sense--it looks a little better, and why waste time replicating a service that's readily available?--but something seems low-rent about the arrangement. Rupert Murdoch is buying Myspace for $580 million, and the Tribune Co. is renting space on Typepad's servers for $49 per year.