Zell urges rapid change

Tribune chairman may consider sale of some assets

The new executives devoted much of their talk to the notion that newspapers must embrace change and react nimbly to the evolving needs of readers and advertisers.

The first priority, he said, will be to increase revenue through new avenues such as a new free daily tabloid called b for young adults and accompanying Web site that The Baltimore Sun Media Group will launch next month.

Zell, appearing in his trademark open-collar shirt and sport jacket, repeatedly criticized past management of Tribune Co. as bureaucratic, unwieldy and overly centralized. He listed the top executives he has shed, including the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and head of human resources, and noted his new hires.

The most recent is Lee Abrams, the chief creative officer at XM Satellite Radio credited with inventing the "album rock" FM radio format, as Tribune's first chief innovation officer.

"This is not an easy task," Zell said. "The challenge is there, but the opportunity is there. We have extraordinary brand names. But we haven't used them to our advantage."

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