THE TRIBUNE COMPANY: AN AMERICAN MULTIMEDIA GIANT

Of all the different companies I could have chosen for the catalyst and inspiration of this blog, I have opted for one of the world's largest multimedia conglomerate, The Tribune Company.  There are a few different reasons for my doing so. 
For starters, CM 502 and the MACOMM program is about the ever-changing world of media (and many other things).  So what better type of company to focus on than one that has a stronghold on a variety of different types of media?  With 23 television channels and 10 daily newspapers in its saddlebag, The Tribune Company has a tremendous reach.  Along with outside partners, they also own percentages of such notable websites as CareerBuilder and Apartments.com.
I also chose The Tribune Company for I was once an employee of a weekly publication that they owned (albeit quite indirectly...the publication for which I worked was owned by The Hartford Courant, which is owned by The Tribune Company) shortly after graduating college.  While I would love to write that I was incredibly well paid and held a large position within the publication (perhaps as a publisher), I was an advertising account executive responsible for filling the pages of the weekly publication with advertisements of local bars, restaurants, nightclubs, etc.   In addition to going out and knocking on doors, hoping to get business owners to sign a contract to run ads on a weekly basis, I was a liaison to the graphic design department as I provided them with the text and content for the ads they would eventually create. 
Business was generally good, and while my salary was mediocre (the result of me being a sometimes lackluster and uninspired salesman), there was a handsome 401k and profit sharing plan thanks to the folks at Tribune.  This was long before the disastrous stock market crash of 2008, and even before 9/11.  It was a much different world.
It's interesting to note the wide range of different types of publications and media outlets that the Tribune Company either owns or has had a stake in since they were founded in 1847.  They represent a variety of different cultures, opinions and beliefs.   In addition to the aforementioned Hartford Courant and their flagship publication, The Chicago Tribune, The Tribune Company owns other notable daily publications like The Los Angeles Times and The Orlando Sentinel.  They have an impressive television presence as they own stations in most major US cities (Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, Dallas, WPIX in New York, and others).  They even own 31% of The Food Network.
With a such a large presence across a variety of different outlets and cities, it's often hard to pinpoint or pigeonhole the values and target audience of The Tribune Company.  The Chicago Tribune has been known in the past as being conservative in their political beliefs and received plenty of flack from bloggers and angry emails from readers when they endorsed George W. Bush for reelection in 2004 (read a snippet of that endorsement).  In 2008, they shifted gears drastically by endorsing Chicago's native son, Senator Barack Obama, for president .  This was their first ever endorsement of a democratic presidential candidate. 
Interestingly enough, the publication for which I worked from 2000-2002 had an ultra-liberal take on things.  And while they were very much a low publication on the giant totem poll that is The Tribune Company, their editorial and beliefs were in such sharp contrast to those of publications like The Chicago Tribune. 
What changed for this publication (and for me as an advertising account executive) were the events on September 11th 2001, and the sudden rise in much-needed patriotism nationwide.  Our offices were located a mere 45 minutes from Manhattan, and I remember driving home on I-95 early that afternoon, seeing caravans of emergency responders driving in the other direction.  In the days and weeks that followed 9/11, this publication ran articles and editorials covering the events.  Some of them stated that the attacks should have been expected and one went as far as to unfortunately insinuate that the attacks were warranted on some level.  This was enough to make many advertisers decide to pull their ads, and prospective advertisers to decide against running ads with the publication. 
The paper's proximity to the World Trade Center and their circulation meant that many readers were affected on some level by the events.  I saw the writing on the wall as my weekly commission started to dwindle, and by April 2002 I left.
The publication went through a rough stretch for a couple of years, but has managed to survive (despite significant lay-offs over the last year or so) but not necessarily thrive.  And while many blame the paper's struggles (and recent lay-offs) on the The Tribune Company (read a little about it here), I can't help but feel that the paper has survived thanks largely to being backed and owned by such a large media powerhouse with incredibly deep pockets.