Tribune Appoints Steven Berns As Chief Financial Officer

CHICAGO, June 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Tribune Company today announced the appointment of Steven Berns as its Executive Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, responsible for overseeing all finance functions, including financial reporting, treasury, tax, and audit.  He joins the company from Revlon, Inc., the worldwide cosmetic and beauty products company, where he served in a similar capacity beginning in May 2009.  Berns will report to Tribune's CEO, Peter Liguori, and begin his new duties before the end of July.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/CG34788-a)

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130619/CG34788-b)

Tribune also announced that Chandler Bigelow, who has served as the company's CFO since 2008, has been appointed to the newly-created position of Executive Vice President/Chief Business Strategies and Operations Officer.  In this new role, Bigelow will oversee the company's equity investments and its real estate portfolio, and will help lead the ongoing transformation of Tribune's traditional media businesses.  He, too, will report to Liguori.

"Steven's broad experience, financial acumen, and open management style will enable us to make a seamless transition in the leadership of our finance team—he will be a great addition to the company and a valued partner on our executive team," said Liguori.  "At the same time, I am excited to partner with Chandler in his new role as we continue to evolve our businesses for future success; his institutional knowledge, financial rigor and strategic instincts make Chandler ideal for this role."

Prior to serving as CFO at Revlon, Berns held a variety of executive finance positions, serving as Chief Financial Officer at Tradeweb, LLC, a leading over-the-counter, electronic trading marketplace, and at MDC Partners, where he was also President and Chief Financial Officer.  From August 1999 to September 2004, Berns was SVP/Treasurer for The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc., an organization of advertising agencies and marketing services firms. 

Berns is a certified public accountant.  He graduated from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics and earned an MBA from New York University.  

"I am thrilled to join Peter and the entire Tribune team at this exciting time for the company," said Berns.  "Tribune's combination of assets and capabilities provide a terrific platform for building growth and shareholder value."

Bigelow joined Tribune in 1998 and one year later was named manager/corporate finance.  In 2001 he was appointed assistant treasurer and he became Tribune's treasurer in 2003.

"I'm excited to continue helping Peter with the ongoing transformation of our broadcasting and publishing businesses," said Bigelow.  "Tribune starts with a number of advantages—great content, a powerful distribution network and extremely talented, dedicated employees—and there are a lot of great opportunities ahead for the company."    

TRIBUNE is one of the country's leading multimedia companies, operating businesses in broadcasting, publishing, and interactive. The company's broadcasting group owns or operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable, the national multicast network, Antenna TV and Chicago's WGN-AM. In publishing, Tribune's leading daily newspapers include the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, Sun Sentinel (South Florida), Orlando Sentinel, Hartford Courant, The Morning Call and Daily Press. Popular news and information websites complement Tribune's print and broadcast properties and extend the company's nationwide audience.

SOURCE Tribune