“There is tremendous upside at Tribune,” declared Ed Wilson as he jumped to the company as President of Tribune Broadcasting. Wilson was previously President of the Fox Television Network and his resume also includes important executive titles at NBC and CBS. His appointment is the highest executive change since Sam Zell took over as CEO of Tribune. He succeeds John Reardon, who had held the post since late 2005 (11/14/05 RBR #223).
So, what’s the new challenge for a guy whose career has already been marked by major achievements? “The company has great stations in large, diverse markets where there is a constant demand for local news, information, and entertainment—and that plays to our strength. The combined resources of our TV stations, newspapers and web sites, give us a distinct advantage over our competitors in providing the most reliable, relevant, and interesting coverage of local news and events whenever and wherever viewers want it. We’ll also be the first big media company that doesn’t take itself too seriously. With Sam Zell in charge, we have a lot of rope to break the rules and do TV differently,” Wilson said. Effective February 11th, he will be overseeing Tribune Broadcasting’s 23 television stations, Superstation WGN, Tribune Entertainment and WGN Radio.
“Ed is the most energetic and creative executive in broadcasting. Most people are too full of themselves to learn anything new before they ever get to the level of success Ed has achieved. As anyone who has ever been to the bar at a broadcasting convention knows, Ed is a great guy, who just happens to come out on top,” said Randy Michaels, CEO of Tribune Interactive and Broadcasting.
RBR observation: Now that we know how Randy does his hiring, everyone looking for a job with the new Tribune Company will be hanging out at the bar at The Bellagio in Las Vegas during the April NAB Convention.
