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Un-tronc’d

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Tronc, the parent company of the Chicago Tribune, is changing its name back to Tribune Publishing.

The Chicago-based company, which also owns the Baltimore Sun; Hartford Courant; Orlando Sentinel; South Florida’s Sun Sentinel; the New York Daily News; the Capital Gazette in Annapolis, Md.; The Morning Call in Allentown, Pa.; the Daily Press in Newport News, Va.; and The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va., announced the decision Thursday. It ends a more than two-year run with the much-derided corporate moniker of Tronc.

The name change will take effect after the market closes Tuesday. Beginning Wednesday, the company’s stock will trade on the NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol TPCO.

The Tronc name was unveiled in June 2016, four months after technology entrepreneur Michael Ferro became nonexecutive chairman and the largest shareholder of the newspaper chain. The name, which stood for Tribune Online Content and was intended to be written in all-lowercase letters, quickly was ridiculed.

* Feder…

The monosyllabic, lower case moniker was meant to stand for “tribune online content” and underscore the company’s shift from newspaper publisher to a “content curation and monetization engine” under then-chairman Michael Ferro. The rebranding also was intended to differentiate Tribune Publishing from Tribune Media, the broadcasting company from which it spun off in 2014.

Ferro stepped down in March, just hours before Fortune magazine published allegations of sexual misconduct against him by two women. (He remains the company’s largest shareholder.) CEO Justin Dearborn, who succeeded Ferro as chairman, moved to change the name back to Tribune Publishing with approval of the company board after the sale of the Los Angeles Times and San Diego Union-Tribune earlier this year.

“We announced today our decision to return the parent company name to one that’s which [sic] is rich in history, prestige and a recognition of our journalistic foundation – The Tribune Publishing Company,” Dearborn told employees in a memo.

Looks like whoever wrote the memo was undecided on “that’s” or “which is” and then forgot to go back and fix it. /s

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:24 pm

Comments

Do they still have to pay that guy a $5 million consulting fee for this dumb idea?

Comment by The Captain Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:26 pm
I credit Wordslinger.

Comment by Stuntman Bob's Brother Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:28 pm
Trendy renaming of classic things is a recipe for failure, except for the consultant fees.

Comment by JibbaJ Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:36 pm
It’s never too late to stop doing something dumb.

Comment by lakeside Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:47 pm
Change the name, leave the editorial the same = the graveyard scene from “Poltergeist”. “You moved the headstones, but you left the bodies”

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 3:51 pm
The creepy-weird corporate horror flick below should be preserved at the Chicago History Museum.

You expect Michael Myers to pop out and do his thing Halloween-style at any moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtwiWd1LTeg

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 4:15 pm
TP Company. Great ticker. TP is definitely the best use for the editorial page.

Comment by Moe Berg Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 4:15 pm
Now who will funnel and optimize the power of local journalism?

– MrJM

Comment by @misterjayem Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 4:58 pm
“From pixels to Pulitzer’s………”
First time I have seen the tronc corporate horror film. After viewing this you just have to laugh when you think that some board or CEO bought this and thought it was going to work. It’s literally just a bunch of jargon and buzz words all strung together. Love their description of AI and it’s role in “content creation.” And the flow chart…..t ronc was doomed from the start.

Comment by Old and In The Way Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 5:03 pm
Why is McQuery still employed?

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 5:47 pm
In the end… the Trib lost it’s building… so some could make more cash.

Whew.

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 5:49 pm
“Looks like whoever wrote the memo was undecided on “that’s” or “which is” and then forgot to go back and fix it. /s”

I hate when I do that.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 7:03 pm
- Moe Berg - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 4:15 pm:
TP Company. Great ticker. TP is definitely the best use for the editorial page.

- @misterjayem - Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 4:58 pm:
Now who will funnel and optimize the power of local journalism?
– MrJM

Wonderful synchronicity guys. Obviously, the new TP Company will be funneling the power of local journalism. Swirling it a bit too no doubt.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Oct 4, 18 @ 11:22 pm