Tribune Company Publishing Appointments

From: Tribune Communications
Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 9:11 AM
Subject: Message from Eddy Hartenstein and Tony Hunter/Publishing Appointments 

We are pleased to announce today the promotion of several executives who will lead key company functions for Tribune Publishing. 

As Peter has just said, we are naming leaders of each major revenue function in our company including advertising sales, consumer marketing, and digital media. We will also be focusing our management resources in manufacturing, distribution, finance, human resources, and technology, so that each function can best serve the company, our advertisers, and our readers.

Our strategy is to make Tribune Publishing synonymous with the sharing of employee skills, best practices, product innovation, new revenue activities, and new content initiatives rapidly and seamlessly across the company. Each of these leaders has an established track record of success at our company. 

The following long-time Tribune executives will assume new responsibilities: 

Bob Fleck, currently Senior Vice President, Advertising for Chicago Tribune, will assume the new role of Executive Vice President of Advertising for Tribune Publishing, the company’s senior-most advertising position. All national advertising teams, including T365, Digital, MediaWorks, and Classified Marketplaces will report to Bob. Brad Agens will take on expanded national responsibility for Tribune’s digital advertising, reporting to Bob. Both Bob and Brad will work closely with Mike Tannourji, Executive Vice President of Advertising at Los Angeles Times Media, as well with the advertising teams of each of our publications, which will continue to report to their local publishers. 

Bill Nagel, currently Executive Vice President, Business Services at The Los Angeles Times will be appointed to the new role of Executive Vice President of Marketing for Tribune Publishing, overseeing all consumer marketing and circulation operations, both print and digital, as well as the company’s brand marketing, market research and events management. Joseph Schlitz, currently Senior Vice President of Marketing & Targeted Media for Chicago Tribune will assume the new role of Senior Vice President, Marketing & Targeted Media for Tribune Publishing, reporting to Bill and working closely with the marketing teams of all Tribune Publishing properties. 

Bill Adee, Emily Smith, and Barb Healy, will each take on expanded, companywide responsibilities for key dimensions of our digital strategy and operations. Led by Bill Adee, this new Tribune Publishing organization will be called Tribune Digital. 

Russ Newton, now Senior Vice President/Operations & Home Delivery for Los Angeles Times Media becomes Tribune Publishing’s Senior Vice President of Manufacturing. Bob Thomas, currently Vice President, Distribution Fulfillment, Chicago Tribune will lead companywide Distribution operations as Senior Vice President of Distribution. 

As announced earlier, John Bode, Chief Financial Officer of Tribune Publishing will head up the company’s finance, accounting, and investor relations functions. Gwen Murakami, now Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Los Angeles Times Media, will assume expanded duties as Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Tribune Publishing, reporting to John. 

Ghalib Kassam will continue in his role as Executive Vice President, Information Systems and Technology. 

While each new appointment is effective January 1, 2014, our new functional executives will be meeting with many of you across the company in the interim to help plan our work together for 2014 and beyond. 

As already announced, a number of positions will be eliminated around the company in order to allow for reinvestment in future growth. We assure you that each will be handled with respect, dignity, and assistance for the future. 

Please join us in congratulating our new executive team. We look forward to working together to build the Tribune Publishing Company of the future. 

Eddy and Tony

SOURCE: Brett Levy