Tribune Company today announced that it will combine the operations of the Hartford Courant, WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV together under one roof later this year in the Courant’s Broad Street office.
The combined entities will be led by Richard Graziano, senior vice president/general manager of the two television stations, who has been named publisher of The Courant effective immediately.
Graziano is replacing Steve Carver, who has served as the Courant’s publisher since November 2006, and will leave the company following a short transition period.
Andrea Savastra, a spokesperson for the Courant, said the partnership will not result in further jobs cuts at the newspaper “at this time.”
“This is the future of media,” said Randy Michaels, Tribune’s chief operating officer. “Whether in print, over the air, or online-the delivery mechanism isn’t as important as the unique, rich nature of the content provided. Bringing these media properties together will enable us to bring more resources to our news coverage, improving and expanding what we can offer readers, viewers and advertisers in the area.”
Following the move, WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV will begin broadcasting news from a studio located in the Courant’s newsroom.
Construction of the studio is expected to begin later this summer. WTIC-TV also plans to expand its news offerings by adding two half-hour broadcasts, one at noon and another at 6 p.m. Between them, the two stations currently provide 33 hours of news each week to viewers in Hartford.
Graziano has overseen Tribune’s Hartford television stations since 2005, and last July was promoted to senior vice president/general manager, assuming additional oversight responsibility for the company’s stations in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. He is a veteran broadcast executive with a proven track record of success in Connecticut.
“We are focused on serving Hartford and Connecticut and Rich is the best person to lead our efforts,” said Ed Wilson, president of Tribune Broadcasting. “He’s talented, experienced, and has great leadership skills. But most importantly, Rich knows the market better than anyone.”
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Graziano has already stepped into his new role by naming a new leadership team at the Courant including the promotion of three key players at the company:
- Â Â Â Â Â Richard S. Feeney has been promoted to senior vice president and managing director of the Hartford Courant where he will now serve as CFO for all business units – including broadcasting – and oversee New Mass Media publications and the Hartford Courant Circulation Department. He has been the vice president and chief financial officer of the Hartford Courant since 2000.
- Â Â Â Â Â Tom Anischik has been appointed senior vice president and managing director of the Hartford Courant. In addition to his current duties of overseeing the Hartford Courant Operations Department, he now will oversee Television Engineering and the TV stations’ re-location project. Anischik has served The Courant for 27 years, most recently as vice president of operations.
- Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Joseph Schiltz has been named as vice president of marketing and creative services for the combined business unit and now will oversee the marketing and branding strategy for the Hartford Courant properties. Schiltz joined Fox 61 and WTXX in November 2008, coming to Hartford with over 13 years of experience in media marketing and branding.
The following is a memo from Tribune executive Randy Michaels sent today to Courant staff:
   Over the past year, we’ve talked a lot about transforming Tribune from a collection of media businesses to a true media company, capable of generating, collecting and aggregating content and delivering it to consumers whenever and wherever they want it. Today we are taking another important step in that process.
   This morning we will announce that we will bring all of our media businesses in Hartford, Conn., together under one roof. Later this year, the Hartford Courant and our two television stations, WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV, will join forces in one location to form the state’s largest print/broadcast/online newsroom.
   The joint operation will be led by Rich Graziano, who has been named publisher of the Courant effective immediately. Rich takes over from Steve Carver who will leave the company after a short transition period. Steve has headed up the Courant since late 2006 and we wish him well. Rich has been running our Hartford TV operations for the past four years and he knows the market very well-he’ll be a terrific publisher for the Courant.
   We’re making a significant investment in Hartford. Following the move, the television stations will broadcast news from a new state-of-the-art, high-definition studio constructed in the Courant newsroom. We also plan to expand news at WTIC-TV, adding a noon and a 6 p.m. news broadcast.
    Co-location will enable us to bring more resources to our news coverage in Hartford and cut down on duplication. It also will benefit advertisers by creating a more efficient one-stop shop for print, broadcast and online ad sales.
   This type of innovation is the future of media-a future in which the way we deliver our content matters less and less. What’s important is the quality and breadth of our content, and our ability to work together and respond quickly to the demand for it. That’s what will keep us out in front of our readers, viewers, listeners and advertisers, ensuring our future and enabling us to stay ahead of our competitors.
   The press release announcing the move is attached for your review.
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