Nigel Laguna
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![[*]](./images/iconic/default_icon.gif) posted on 7-30-2010 at 11:26 AM |
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Golden "Chute for Randy Michaels?
From today's Tribune:
"Tribune Co. proposed paying its top 43 executives a severance package of cash and benefits if they are asked by a new board to leave the company
after the Chicago-based media conglomerate emerges from bankruptcy.
The company didn’t put a price tag on the package, but said it amounts to 2.5 times salary and bonus for Chief Executive Randy Michaels, and 2.25
times salary and bonus for Chief Operating Officer Gerry Spector. Both would be entitled to 24 months of the company’s group health benefits.
Tribune Co. filed the plan late Thursday as part of a supplement to its plan of reorganization.
(snip)
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/07/tribune-co-proposes-severance-pack...
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LARadio
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| posted on 7-30-2010 at 01:02 PM |
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Valid question: is that kind of money worth it to get rid of Randy Michaels? Quite probably, I would argue.
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Boondocker
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Mood: Go Tigers! Go Redbirds!
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| posted on 7-30-2010 at 01:42 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally posted by LARadio
Valid question: is that kind of money worth it to get rid of Randy Michaels? Quite probably, I would argue. |
YES!!!!
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LARadio
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| posted on 7-30-2010 at 03:14 PM |
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God, what a Hobson's choice. Any new bankruptcy agreement probably will dump Michaels, meaning the Jacor cronies will, slowly but surely, get kicked
out of Tribune Tower and 435 N. Bradley Place.
So it's going to wind up costing several hundred million dollars to salvage Sam Zell's purchase .. of Tribune.
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Bruce the Fierce
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| posted on 7-31-2010 at 01:55 PM |
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As Tribune sinks slowly in the east, I'm headed for Borders in Oak Park to take my kids to meet the legendary Dick Biondi. WLS-FM is coming out with a
CD, complete with songs by Chicago and the Buckinghams, "Lake Shore Drive," Reunion's altered "Life is a Rock (but WLS Rolled Me) and Dick's famous
Pizza song.
http://chicagoradioandmedia.com/news/815-tribune-promotes-two-more-ex-jacorcl...
Tribune Promotes Two More Ex-Jacor/Clear Channel Employees PDF | Print | E-mail
Written by Larz
Saturday, 31 July 2010 10:40
As mentioned on CRM yesterday in News & Notes, the recent promotion of Jeff Kapugi, that makes room for others to advance within Chicago-based Tribune
Interactive, and gives Kapugi the power to promote more of Randy Michaels old pals from Clear Channel. Earlier this week, Julie Anderson was promoted
to Senior Vice-President of Content & Integration at Tribune Interactive. Yesterday, two more former Clear Channel people were promoted within Tribune
Interactive: Tim Dukes and Andy Friedman.
Tim Dukes has been named Vice-President of Interactive Marketing. He previously held the of Vice President of Promotions, a title he was given when
Randy Michaels brought him aboard in July 2008. Tim Dukes may be best remembered to Chicagoans as a former Program Director for WLUP-FM. It was Dukes
that helped bring Jonathon Brandmeier back to Chicago in October of 2005. Of course, it was also Dukes who fired fan-favorite Cara Carriveau after she
had sent an innocent e-mail to Robert Feder saying it was a shame that so many iconic Chicago radio personalities were off the air in October of 2006.
(To be fair, General Manger Marv Nyren was also largely responsible for both decisions.) Tim Dukes himself was fired from WLUP in February 2007.
However, how Tim Dukes came to be part of Tribune Company has do with his long radio career before WLUP. For well over a dozen years before taking the
WLUP position, Dukes was a radio executive with Clear Channel, and Jacor before that, working for Randy Michaels, the current Tribune CEO. He had
worked in Ohio, Georgia and some other southern markets with CC/Jacor. Dukes had not previously ever worked for a newspaper or interactive media
company before being hired by Tribune Company. He had worked with Randy Michaels previously and that was all his resume needed to say.
Andy Friedman has been named Vice-President of Content for Broadcasting. When Randy Michaels stole Friedman away from Clear Channel in May 2008, he
was given the title of Vice-President of Interactive Content. With Clear Channel, he last held the title of Vice President of News/Talk and Sports
Programing. It was Randy Michaels hiring of Friedman that caused Clear Channel to say "enough is enough!" CC sued Michaels and Tribune Company for
"unfair competition." They sought and won monetary damages and kept Friedman from starting his job for many months. They also sought, but did not
receive, the return of sensitive Clear Channel business documents that they felt Friedman may have had in his possession.
Like Tim Dukes, Andy Friedman does have a Chicago radio connection that has nothing to do with Clear Channel or Michaels. For a little under two
years, in 1999 & 2000, Friedman was the News Director of WBBM-AM. Prior to being hired by Tribune, Friedman had no previous newspaper or interactive
media experience -- just eight years of Clear Channel Radio experience, which was apparently enough experience for Randy Michaels.
In a press release yesterday, Tribune Interactive COO Jeff Kapugi said, "Tim and Andy have media industry knowledge and expertise that we're going to
leverage for the benefit of all of our business units and consumers. I have no doubt they'll be successful."
Both promotions were made effective immediately.
Tribune Interactive works with the websites for all of the Tribune's properties, including its 8 newspapers, 23 TV stations, and 1 radio station, as
well as some external clients.
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LARadio
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| posted on 8-1-2010 at 05:19 AM |
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"...complete with songs by Chicago and the Buckinghams, "Lake Shore Drive," Reunion's altered "Life is a Rock (but WLS Rolled Me) and Dick's famous
Pizza song."
Not to be too picky here, but I thought I'd mention "Lake Shore Drive" was a one-hit wonder for "Alliota Haynes Jeremiah," a folk-rock group actually
from a suburb of Milwaukee (West Allis).
The song created a flap in Chicago when it came out. From Wikipedia (and it's true):
"The initials "L.S.D." are not normally used in Chicago vernacular to refer to the highway (although it is sometimes referred to as the Outer Drive to
distinguish it from Inner Lake Shore Drive, which extends from Grand to North Avenues). Outside of the Chicago area, the initials are known only as
the name of the drug."
The only other song anyone ever even occasionally remembers from this group is "For Eddie," which was the B-side of "Lake Shore Drive."
As for the Buckinghams, pretty much everything they did became a hit. The only people missing from your Borders' gathering are Jim Peterik and the
Ides Of March, and Dennis DeYoung of Styx!
Also, WLS was not the only Chicago station to have an altered version of the Reunion song "Life Is A Rock." WCFL had one, too.
Edit to quote the story: "Andy Friedman does have a Chicago radio connection that has nothing to do with Clear Channel or Michaels. For a little under
two years, in 1999 & 2000, Friedman was the News Director of WBBM-AM. Prior to being hired by Tribune, Friedman had no previous newspaper or
interactive media experience -- just eight years of Clear Channel Radio experience, which was apparently enough experience for Randy Michaels."
Yeah. Friedman was perceived as an idiot at WBBM. Actually, he was news director at WBBM for closer to nine months -- not two years.
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