WITH HIS TEAM. >> NOW AT 5.30, A FEDERAL COURT HEARING IS UNDERWAY IN PORTLAND TRYING TO DETERMINE IF THE KROGER ALBERTSONS DEAL SHOULD BE DELAYED FOR VIOLATING ANTI-TRUST RULES AS WE TOLD YOU HERE FIRST YESTERDAY, KROGER SAYS A DELAY WOULD KILL THAT MERGER. SO WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN FOR CINCINNATI? THE WCPO 9, TAKES A LOOK. >> I STILL BELIEVE THE MERGER WILL HAPPEN BEFORE SCOTT BECK BECAME A XAVIER UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR. HE WORKED FOR KROGER. >> ARE READY LARGE, WELL LED ORGANIZATION THERE. YOU KNOW, DO THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED IT? NOT TO SURVIVE. >> IT'S 25 BILLION DOLLAR PURCHASE OF ALBERTSONS FALLS THROUGH BECK SAID KROGER AND EACH HOME TOWN WILL BE FINE. GOT TO REALIZE WITH KROGER, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT KROGER AND THE CORPORATION, IF THE HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS OF COMPANIES THAT SERVICE BACK WORK FOR ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES IN THE EARLY 2, THOUSANDS. SO I WORK FOR FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS. WE HAD A TEAM. WOULD TAKE CARE OF KROGER AND ALL THE DIFFERENT DIVISIONS ACROSS THE COUNTRY NEXT. AS KROGER SUPPLIERS WON'T LEAVE IF THE MERGER FALLS THROUGH, BUT THE NUMBER WOULD BE BIGGER IF KROGER GETS BIGGER. I THINK MANUFACTURERS ARE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DOES STAFFING AND SERVICING KROGER LOOK LIKE KROGER IS ALREADY GREATER CINCINNATI'S LARGEST COMPANY. ITS 9,000 LOCAL EMPLOYEES FEEL SOME OF DOWNTOWN'S KEEP CORNERS. >> BUT IT'S 150 BILLION DOLLARS IN ANNUAL SALES LOOKS SMALL COMPARED TO WALMART'S 611 BILLION MERGER FAILS. KROGER DOESN'T GET AS BIG AS IT WANTS TO CAN IT COMPETE LONG-TERM AGAINST WALMART CAM? IT'S JUST GOING