Walter: Time To Turn The Page On Trib Leadership
The news about the Chicago Tribune Co. is truly horrendous. The company innovation officer gone last week, and the chief executive officer, the next to go -- both of them because of bad-boy, meathead behavior; a lewd and trashy office e-mail; a secret poker party inside Tribune Tower and evidence of sexual harassment.
The bad news was first exposed five months ago by the highly respected media critic Robert Feder in his blog, including pictures of the poker party -- chips and booze on the tables, hosted Randy Michaels, the tacky Tribune CEO.
There he was with his stogie, and Kevin Metheny, the executive he hired to run WGN Radio, with his stogie. Be careful, you two. It's illegal to smoke in a building in Chicago. But not to worry: They disabled the smoke detectors.
Kevin counts his take, and gets under his fedora before blowin' the joint. How'd you do, Kev? How'd the other guys do?
The innovation officer I mentioned, the one who sent the crude and profane e-mail and was forced to resign last week, after the dirt in the Tower was exposed, the stuff of Tribune headlines when the paper catches others doing it.
Can't blame the reporters, though, or the editors. They, too, are disgusted and happy the story's being told and the dirt being swept away.
Nightmare over. Fresh start. New day for the Tribune Co.? Sure hope so.
