Tribune Gate

The Tribune Company is out of order and in desperate need of repairs, lets hope the needed sale takes place as soon as possible, before the Los Angeles Times implodes.

Last year one of my Tribune boss’ told me Take Back the Times was the most disliked blog by the Los Angeles Times employees, and asked if I would stop linking the daily contempt aimed at the Tribune Company on my blog. I agreed, but had a change of heart after the executives at Tribune Towers awarded themselves $269,000,000 in golden parachutes if the company is sold. On February 14th, 2007 the board gave themselves thousands of shares of Tribune stock, for doing a fine job I suppose, which will pay them a large dividend if there is a payout.

If Ken Reich’s blog is so disliked by Times Employees, why are his messages posted in the hallways at Tribune West (formerly Times Mirror Square), maybe someone enjoys what he is saying?

The recurring word of the day at our plant was Enron; will we end up like the former employees of Enron, retirements lost forever, while the executives walk away with millions in their pockets no matter which course is taken? Tensions are rising among the workers at the newspaper as we near this Friday’s conclusion. Many of my co-workers comments can not be repeated here, but let me assure you, the workers are not pleased.

Here are a few links to what the Blogosphere is saying regarding Tribune gate.

Careful what Zell tells you LA Biz Observed

Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not predicting the future. But sometimes it can be instructive to look for potential patterns by peering into the past.

Careful what Tribune tells you - LA Biz Observed

Eli Broad and Ron Burkle have just made life a little more uncomfortable for the Tribune boys who seem inclined to accept Sam Zell's offer. You remember Broad and Burkle - the L.A. billionaires who made an early bid for Tribune that was turned down weeks ago.

Richard Riordan has harsh words for Tribune - MarketWatch

Add the name of former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan to the chorus of Los Angeles Times critics. The paper has been getting blasted from inside and out. Media critics have been excoriating the Tribune Company, which owns the newspaper, for cutting the staff and presiding over an organization whose quality has declined.

The Circular Firing Squad in California - New York Times

At The Times last week, editors took aim at other editors, writers sprayed shots at their own newspaper, and the publisher drew a bead on his own foot. The shootout went off on the Web in real time, with blogs annotating every ricochet. Fittingly, the whole thing ended when the editorial page editor, after resigning, explained himself on a blog, using the digital platform to throw a grenade on the way out.

L.A.Times Fiasco: Takin' It To The Streets - Metro Blogging

Since it seems everybody and their egos has had to say something (as opposed to having something to say) in regards to this week's L.A.Times Current section controversy I decided to take it down to the bottom rung on the journalistic ladder and check in with my delivery dude to catch his thoughts on the whole mess after he drove up and tossed my paper this morning:

Times blog post edited - LAObserved

Tim Cavanaugh, the web editor who joined the Times Opinion staff recently from Reason magazine, reacted to the resignation of his boss, Andrés Martinez, by posting a personal message on the Opinion blog that raised some eyebrows. He's only been there a few months and works in a small department cut off from most of the Times newsroom, but he posted his belief that the newspaper is a place "where doing anything more than the bare minimum is passively, and often actively, discouraged."