I have a feeling I did this question a little while ago.
If i remember correctly they end up paying off all the debt with the merger (something along those lines) so the company is 100% equity financed. Therefore the cash flow can only go to the equity holders (as there is no debt providers)
I could be wrong, give the question a re-read and look out for a comment on repaying the debt.
Just passing though and though I may be able to help