More Shakeup At Tribune: Interactive Head Replaced

The shakeup of Tribune under Sam Zell continues: Tribune Interactive President Tim Landon has been replaced on an interim basis by Mark Sotir, managing director of Zell’s Equity Group Investments. These changes follow some major changes at Tribune’s biggest paper, LA Times, in January. Randy Michaels, the new CEO for Tribune Interactive and Broadcasting, had expressed his displeasure at his company’s interactive efforts till now in a December interview to the Chicago Tribune, and this change is probably a result of that.

Sotir was responsible for the due diligence of the Tribune’s interactive division when Zell went through the buying process. Landon had held the position since 2004. The interactive division oversees the company’s TV and newspaper sites, plus sites such as ChicagoSports.com and many local info sites. Tribune also holds equity stakes in CareerBuilder.com, Cars.com and Apartments.com.

Landon joined Tribune in 1986 as a classified advertising rep, and was responsible for the purchase of CareerBuilder.com.

Staci adds: Randy Michaels’ own background is in radio (Jacor, Clear Channel) and local television, with interactive primarily as it relates to those. He’s now responsible for Tribune’s 23 TV stations and more than 50 web sites, as well as advising Zell overall. Here’s a video of Michaels talking to some Tribune employees earlier this month.

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