Tribune Spinoff Sounds Death Knell for TV-Print Synergy

Tribune’s long-awaited decision to spin off its newspaper holdings and bet squarely on television pounds a final nail in the coffin of the rationale underlying the Times Mirror-Tribune merger back in 2000.

“The acquisition would give Tribune Co. daily newspapers in the country’s three largest cities — New York (where Times Mirror owns Newsday), Los Angeles and Chicago, and is part of a long-range Tribune Co. strategy of owning multimedia assets in the same markets,” the Times reported at the time, adding that Tribune has “long promoted synergy among its various media properties.” But the synergies between newspapers and TV, in hindsight, weren’t as advantageous as anticipated. Although print reporters remain logical talking heads for TV news, the two cultures are vastly different — one steeped in TV-based showbiz and the thirst for ratings, and the other rooted in more old-fashioned notions about journalism with a capital “J.” Even an evolution toward a web environment where newspapers prize clicks and traffic as much as broadcasters covet ratings hasn’t completely closed this divide.