RadioShack Corp. is preparing to file for bankruptcy protection as early as next month following a sputtering turnaround effort that left the electronics chain short on cash, the Wall Street Journal reported today. A filing could come in the first week of February, as the Fort Worth, Texas-based company has reached out to potential lenders who could help fund its operations during the process. Meanwhile, RadioShack is in talks with a private-equity firm that could buy its assets out of bankruptcy. The retailer, which employed 24,000 people late last year, has made clear it is running dangerously low on cash after posting losses in each of the last 11 quarters. Its stock-market value has fallen to less than $50 million.
