Your comments about Tribune Company

Shirley Osman   High Point, NC

Posted at 8:15pm on Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Tribune's Zap2it.com services are questionable at best when compared with other available free options (my opinion). When I signed up for Zap2it.com, I found that there are clips, trailers, etc. not the expected access to ACTUAL programming like on Hulu.com. When I signed up, I very carefully declined everything offered except the two required "layered" apps, which were said could be removed at any point in time. Now that I've discovered the true nature and uselessness (to me) of this service, I can't even find the software listed in the "All Programs" section of my Start Menu. Repeated attempted to contact technical support have brought no results. Have contacted Zap2It.com and Times Media Services, Inc., neither of which at this point has responded.

Do yourself a favor, DON'T download Zap2It.com and cast a critical eye at any affiliated company.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:26am on Monday, May 9, 2011

-- May 6, 2011 -- Eddy Hartenstein is now chief executive at Tribune Company. He will remain publisher at Los Angeles Times Media Group.

Lorianne   Lostine, United States

Posted at 2:49pm on Monday, March 14, 2011

When I learned the Tribune Company held stock in a cyberbullying gossip site called Topix, I decided to boycott the Tribune. That Topix company is destroying people.

Cristy Minton   Margate, Florida

Posted at 2:11pm on Wednesday, February 23, 2011

I have been trying to get through to a representative IN THE UNITED STATES for two days now to renew my SUN SENTINEL subscription. There is NO number for the Sun Sentinel other than one which is answered IN THE PHILIPPINES. I have nothing against anyone in other countries. I myself am not a native born American. I have lived in this country since 1958, however, and I love this country very much. Our economy is IN THE TOILET. I do not agree with 'outsourcing' jobs which should go to the American people. I understand that Tribune Company is the one which owns Florida's Sun Sentinel. I would like you to give me a number to call (IN THE UNITED STATES) so that I can speak with someone about renewal. No offense to your reps who work out of our country, however, I would like to KEEP OUR JOBS IN OUR COUNTRY so I refuse to speak to a rep who is not WORKING in the U.S.

Thank you.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:48am on Friday, January 21, 2011

Tribune Announces Outstanding Employee Award Winners for 2010

-- January 20, 2011 -- Tribune Company today announced the winners of its Outstanding Tribune Employee Award for 2010. The program is designed to recognize the achievements and significant contributions of individual employees across the company.

This program recognizes an individual or group of individuals from each of Tribune's business units, the corporate office and other departments for exemplary performance last year. Employees at the level of the manager or below are eligible. The individuals recognized include security personnel at the Los Angeles Times, whose quick action saved the life of an employee, a reporter who excelled at combining technology with watchdog journalism, and the company's entire technology help-desk. Award recipients will receive $2,500 and a certificate of appreciation in recognition of their talent, innovation and dedication during 2010. Winning teams will share the $2,500 award.

"Across the country, we have dedicated employees working hard day in and day out," said Don Liebentritt, Tribune's co-president. "Recognizing and rewarding these individuals for their outstanding performance is important—on behalf of Tribune's executive team, I congratulate the winners and thank them for their significant contributions to the company."

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:05am on Thursday, January 6, 2011

Tribune Media Services and Virgin Media Sign Entertainment Data Agreement

-- January 5, 2011 -- Tribune Media Services (TMS) announced today that TMS entertainment metadata will help power the next-generation entertainment platform from Virgin Media, the United Kingdom's leading entertainment and communications company.

Virgin Media selected TMS as it launches Virgin Media TV to customers across the U.K. Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo features an advanced user interface enabling viewers to combine the live TV schedule with catch-up TV, a huge library of on-demand programming and popular web-based applications alongside a market-leading personal video recorder.

TMS will provide Virgin Media with rich, deep and robust entertainment content including linear TV schedules, program and video-on-demand metadata, celebrity metadata and images. The agreement also includes TMS TV Showcards which offer show synopses, logos, cast ensemble and cast-in-character photos plus award histories. TMS Unique IDs serve as the data taxonomy which ties all the information together allowing easy search and discovery of related content across all programming sources and consumer devices.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:48am on Friday, December 17, 2010

Tribune Media Services Acquires Internet Video Search and Indexing Company, CastTV

-- December 16, 2010 -- Tribune Media Services (TMS) announced today that it has acquired CastTV, a leader in video search, indexing and data technologies for discovering TV shows, movies and other online video content.

The acquisition will enhance TMS' entertainment metadata, widely used by 4,000 media and technology companies in 40 countries. TMS customers will now have access to all the metadata necessary to create entertainment-discovery guides that direct consumers to programs available on linear, on-demand and online video platforms.

CastTV has developed search technology that aggregates, indexes and presents data on millions of TV shows, movies, music videos, news and sports clips, and viral videos from more than 1,000 web-video sources.

The CastTV technology automatically matches online video to professionally edited, structured databases such as TMS TV, movie and celebrity data, allowing for deep integration with existing TMS products. The CastTV system also allows for “device-aware” content-discovery products that can be limited or expanded to include only access to videos that address a customer's device limitations or the business needs of a video provider.

The acquisition includes all of CastTV's technology, products, intellectual property and staff, including CEO Edwin Ong and president Alex Vikati, who founded the San Francisco-based company together in 2006.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:45am on Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Judge in Tribune Company Bankruptcy Being Pushed to His Limits

-- The Chicago Tribune reported on November 29, 2010:

"The judge in Tribune Co.'s nearly 2-year-old bankruptcy case struggled openly at a key hearing Monday as he attempted to referee what one participant described as a "four-ring circus" and another called "total chaos."

Faced with a proceeding that has splintered into four competing restructuring plans brought by sparring creditor factions, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Carey acknowledged that moving the complex case forward efficiently is taxing the powers of the bench.

"It's an unwanted meeting with my own limitations," he said at one particularly frustrating juncture during a seven-hour hearing in a bankruptcy courtroom filled to capacity with lawyers representing constituents in the Chicago-based media company's Chapter 11 case."

Get the full story.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 2:05pm on Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Don Meek to Head Reorganized, Rechristened Tribune Digital

-- The Chicago Tribune reported on November 2, 2010:

"Tribune Co. is renaming its Tribune Interactive division Tribune Digital, in a reorganization that places Don Meek, who had been chief revenue officer for the company's publishing and interactive operations, in charge as executive vice president.

Meek will report to Tony Hunter, head of the Chicago Tribune Media Group, according to a Tuesday memo to employees sent by the four-member Executive Council overseeing Tribune Co. since the Oct. 22 resignation of Randy Michaels as chief executive.

The reorganization is the first major move by the Council, which includes Hunter, Los Angeles Times Media Group chief Eddy Hartenstein, Tribune Co. Chief Investment Officer Nils Larsen and and Don Liebentritt, who is in charge of the company's Chapter 11 restructuring."

The full story:
http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2010/11/don-meek-to-head-reorganized-rechristened-tribune-digital.html

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 1:23pm on Tuesday, November 2, 2010

3 More Top Executives Leaving Tribune Co.

-- The Chicago Tribune reported on November 1, 2010:

"Some of the Clear Channel Communications Inc. contingent is clearing out of Tribune Co.

Tribune Interactive President Marc Chase, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Kapugi and Executive Vice President Carolyn Gilbert — longtime associates of Randy Michaels, who resigned as Tribune Co. chief executive last month — are leaving the company, sources said.

Gilbert and Kapugi confirmed their departures from Tribune Co.'s digital division Monday. Chase could not be reached for comment. A Tribune Co. spokesman declined to comment.

Chase, Kapugi and Gilbert are among the first and highest ranking of Michaels' Jacor and Clear Channel Communications colleagues to leave Tribune Co. since a four-member executive council replaced Michaels on Oct. 22. They will not be alone, sources indicated."

The full story:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-1102-tribune-20101101,0,5144998.story

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 11:04am on Monday, November 1, 2010

Hedge Funds Sue Banks That Funded Tribune Co. Buyout

-- The Los Angeles Times reported on October 30, 2010:

"A group of hedge funds has sued the banks that funded Tribune Co.'s 2007 leveraged buyout, alleging that the lenders knowingly rendered the company insolvent and precipitated its 2008 bankruptcy.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in New York state court against banks owned by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and Citigroup Inc., is not technically part of Tribune Co.'s contentious Chapter 11 case playing out in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.

But it arises from the same failed transaction led by Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell that has become the focus of the bankruptcy proceedings."

The full story:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-tribune-court-20101030,0,5285403.story

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 1:15pm on Monday, October 25, 2010

Chicago's Tribune Company Files Reorganization Plan

-- Reuters U.S. reported on October 23, 2010:

"Tribune Co filed a reorganization plan late on Friday that will turn over control of the bankrupt newspaper publisher to its leading creditors including JPMorgan Chase & Co, Angelo Gordon & Co and Oaktree Capital Management.

The plan signals an important step toward the recovery of the media company -- which owns the Los Angeles Times and the Chicago Tribune -- from what Sam Zell, the real estate developer and architect of the 2007 leveraged buyout, called "the deal from hell."

Zell took the 163-year-old publisher and owner of 23 television stations private in a 2007 deal that loaded the company with more than $8 billion in debt. It filed for bankruptcy a year later, buckling under the weight of a heavy debt load and a severe decline in advertising revenue.

The reorganization plan was made public just hours after chief executive Randy Michaels, under fire from reports that he tolerated a sexist and hostile workplace, resigned."

The full story:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE69I0QG20101023

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 9:11am on Monday, October 25, 2010

Tribune CEO Randy Michaels Resigns

-- Tribune Board Appoints Executive Council to Oversee Operations

-- October 22, 2010 -- Tribune Company today announced that its board of directors has appointed an Executive Council that will assume the responsibilities of the Office of the Chief Executive and President and oversee the company's publishing and broadcast operations. Randy Michaels has resigned as the company's CEO, effective immediately.

The executive council is composed of: Don Liebentritt, Tribune's Chief Restructuring Officer, Nils Larsen, Tribune's Chief Investment Officer, Tony Hunter, President, Publisher and CEO of Chicago Tribune Company and Eddy Hartenstein, Publisher and CEO of Los Angeles Times Communications, LLC. Nils Larsen has also been named Chairman of Tribune Broadcasting. The Executive Council will report directly to Tribune's board of directors.

Tribune Broadcasting President Jerry Kersting will work very closely with the Council and will continue in his role overseeing the company's broadcast operations, including its 23 television stations, cable network WGN America, and WGN AM 720 Radio. The company's Chief Operating Officer, Gerry Spector, will report directly to the Council.

"These appointments are designed to ensure a smooth, seamless transition of management responsibilities to a group of experienced executives who have a strong understanding of the company's media businesses," said Sam Zell, Tribune's Chairman of the Board. "The Council will provide the company with stability and continuity as it enters what is traditionally the busiest time of the year for its business units and their advertising partners. Tribune has strong brands, valuable assets and innovative, dedicated employees," Zell continued. "Its media businesses have generated solid financial performance through the first three quarters of 2010—the company is building on that momentum."

As previously announced, Tribune expects to file a plan of reorganization with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware later today.

Media Owners editors   Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 12:55pm on Tuesday, October 19, 2010

"Lee Abrams is an idiot"

-- So says Dan Neil, a former columnist for the Los Angeles Times who now writes for The Wall Street Journal.

Forbes magazine reported on October 13, 2010:

"Dan Neil has a simple answer for that: “Lee Abrams is an idiot.”

Neil is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former columnist for the Tribune-owned Los Angeles Times who now writes for The Wall Street Journal. He’s also one of the plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against Tribune chairman Sam Zell, who, the suit alleges, made improper use of an employee stock ownership plan to gain control of the media conglomerate. And Neil’s on record as no fan of the Zell regime: When he left the Times, he told off “the jackasses in Chicago” in a strongly-worded farewell email."

The full story:
blogs.forbes.com/jeffbercovici/2010/10/13/tribune-plaintiff-dan-neil-lee-abrams-is-an-idiot/

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 10:52am on Monday, October 18, 2010

Tribune Exec Lee Abrams Resigns Over NC-17 Memo

-- TheWrap reported on October 15, 2010:

"Lee Abrams, the Tribune Company executive who had been suspended earlier in the week after sending a companywide e-mail containing links to lewd material, has resigned.

Abrams, the company's chief innovation officer, tendered his resignation on Friday to chief executive Randy Michaels, who said he accepted it.

No word on who will replace Abrams as CIO. His resignation is effective immediately."

Media Owners editors   Boulder, Colorado USA

Posted at 11:15pm on Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A Bankrupt Culture And A Stupid CEO At Tribune Company

On October 5, 2010, David Carr of The New York Times reported on Tribune Company CEO Randy Michaels:

"Based on interviews with more than 20 employees and former employees of Tribune, Mr. Michaels's and his executives' use of sexual innuendo, poisonous workplace banter and profane invective shocked and offended people throughout the company. Tribune Tower, the architectural symbol of the staid company, came to resemble a frat house, complete with poker parties, juke boxes and pervasive sex talk.

The company said Mr. Michaels had the support of the board.

"Randy is a tremendous motivator, very charismatic, but he is very nontraditional," said Frank Wood, a member of the Tribune board. "He has the kind of approach that motivates many people and offends others, but we think he’s done a great job."

The company is now frozen in what seems to be an endless effort to emerge from bankruptcy. (The case entered mediation in September after negotiations failed, and a new agreement between two primary lenders was recently announced.) But even as the company foundered, the tight circle of executives, many with longtime ties to Mr. Michaels, received tens of millions of dollars in bonuses."

Phillip   Grand Island

Posted at 2:48pm on Monday, September 27, 2010

It's too bad to see the Tribune struggling. To me the focus needs to be on saving the newsbusiness. Some of us still enjoy a good, strong daily paper. In addition, WGN is still a valuable commodity. You have got to think keeping five percent ownership with the Cubs is generally smart as well, but otherwise they probably need to downside. Careerbuilder can be a very useful service but I have always wondered how many people actually get jobs off of that site. The economy is so bad everyone is competing for a job so I am not sure how strong the benefit is unforunately. I agree with other posts concerning Topix.net,really they are more of a threat to newspapers and some of the television stations than helpful and that company pretty much has destroyed its reputation by not having really monitoring its forums.

Mark   Fresno

Posted at 5:05pm on Saturday, September 25, 2010

Perhaps this new gentlemen will be able to turn what once was a profitable company around. Looking through the comments, I have to agree with the one about Topix and I am wondering if this new guy is going to come up with a new system. That company is about as bad as it gets when it comes to cyberbullying with its lack of moderation and has made the Tribune look bad (As well as Gannett and McClatchy).The Topix company has said in the past they basically wanted to do away with conventional newspapers. Why the Tribune would hold stock with a company like that has always amazed me.

Media Owners editors   Boulder Colorado USA

Posted at 8:45am on Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Tribune Interactive Names Mike Glickenhaus EVP/Products and Solutions

-- September 20, 2010 -- Tribune Interactive today announced the appointment of Mike Glickenhaus to executive vice president/products and solutions, effective immediately.

Glickenhaus will lead the business-to-business sales effort for Tribune Interactive's products and services line, including Power to the Producer (P2P), an online content management system, and Media on Demand (MoD), the company's print and digital content syndication offering.

"Our multi-platform product line provides key solutions for most media companies out there," said Marc Chase, president of Tribune Interactive. "With more than 25 years experience in broadcast, digital media and technology, Mike is the right choice to bring these innovations to market and share them with the rest of the industry."

Prior to joining Tribune, Glickenhaus held sales and leadership roles including serving as president and chief executive officer at VMIX, a leader in online video platforms and media management systems for media, entertainment and enterprise. His extensive experience also includes senior management positions at Jacor and Noble Broadcast Group, as well as being the founder, president and chief executive officer of Finest City Broadcasting.

"Tribune Interactive has a clear vision of the future and a strong commitment to reinvention and revolution, and I'm very excited to be a part of that team," said Glickenhaus. "Since one size definitely does not fit all, our flexible and customizable solutions give our clients exactly what they need to increase their online activity, streamline their expenses, and drive the return on their investment."

Glickenhaus takes over for John Martin, who joins Tribune Interactive's research and marketing department as vice president, and will focus on new external research and marketing initiatives.

Martie   Boise, United States

Posted at 12:46pm on Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I would drop Topix as one of the entities. Tribune has invested a ton of money in what is no longer a news aggregator but a flat out cyberbullying site. With all the bad publicity companies like Craig's List is getting, Topix should concern the Tribune. Topix basically refuses to moderate their forums and the last thing the Tribune needs is more bad publicity especially since they are already having financial problems.