Tribune Media Services to Be Restructured

CHICAGO, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Tribune Company today announced a restructuring of the two major lines of business at Tribune Media Services (TMS).    

The "Entertainment Products" division, a global leader in entertainment navigation and the provider of industry-leading databases of television, movie and celebrity information to thousands of companies, will operate as a stand-alone business and be part of Tribune Company's valuable portfolio of digital and other non-traditional media assets.  The "News & Features" division of TMS, which syndicates content to a broad array of print and online customers, will be integrated with Tribune Publishing's other content operations.

"TMS is a great business, with world-class products and talented, dedicated employees," said Eddy Hartenstein, Tribune's chief executive officer.  "These changes will enable us to continue growing the very successful Entertainment Products division, and to forge an even tighter relationship between the content and marketing capabilities of TMS' News & Features division and those of Tribune's newspapers and websites."  

The News & Features division will be overseen by Walter Mahoney, currently SVP/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, one of the world's leading supplemental news services.  Mahoney will report to Tony Hunter, president and chief executive officer of Chicago Tribune Media Group.  Jay Fehnel will continue to oversee the Entertainment Products group as SVP/Chief Operating Officer, and will report to Dan Kazan, SVP/Investments at Tribune Company.

As part of the restructuring, David Williams, president and chief executive officer of TMS, will be leaving the company.  Williams will serve as a consultant to TMS during the reorganization process.    

"David Williams' vision and leadership at TMS have been extraordinary," said Hartenstein.  "He's helped build the business from the ground up and we are fortunate he's agreed to stay on during this transition."

TRIBUNE is one of the country's leading multimedia companies, operating businesses in broadcasting, publishing, and interactive. The company's broadcasting group operates 23 television stations, WGN America on national cable 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 Company