U.S. media group Tribune Co. has completed a significant restructuring of its managerial staff, media services and publishing facilities. Tribune Co. owns 23 television stations across America, an array of local papers and prints many more, including those published by its subsidiary The Chicago Tribune Media Group.

According both the Tribune Company website and Newsandtech.com, the management restructuring gives Tony Hunter, Publisher and C.E.O of Chicago Tribune Media Group, the additional role of C.E.O of Tribune Publishing, making him responsible for 7 daily papers. Vince Casanova is now Chief Operating Officer of Chicago Tribune Media Group and also assumes a newly created position as President and C.E.O of Chicago Tribune Media. Kathy Thomson remains in control of The L.A. Times, which is also owned by Tribune Co.
Tribune Co.'s modifications to its multimedia and print services are geared towards positioning the company to better compete in both print and digital markets. Notably, when Tribune Media Services was restructured in June, its entertainment holdings were repackaged as a stand-alone business, but the news and features service was combined with Tribune Co.'s other content generating businesses, reflecting the increasingly significant partnership between journalism produced for print and digital content.

However, despite the rise of local and even hyper local news services in terms of digital production - for an example, look no further than the successful social/news network EveryBlock - the restructuring of Tribune Co.'s publishing holdings points to the fact that the production of local news in print is becoming ever more centralised within the U.S.

The Chicago Tribune Media Group will now print and pack The Chicago Sun-Times plus 7 suburban papers owned by Sun-Times Media LLC. Tribune Co. already prints The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal at their Freedom Centre plant, having installed greater colour capabilities in the plant as part of the arrangement with Dow Jones allowing them to print the journal.

As a result of these modifications - which, according to Newsand Tech.com, constitute the biggest print consolidation since 2009 - the Freedom Centre plant will now be producing 15 titles per day.

Sources: Newsandtech.com (1) , (2) , Tribune Company, EveryBlock.com