Tribune Publishing Co. on Wednesday named Trif Alatzas publisher and editor-in-chief of The Baltimore Sun, expanding on his duties as top editor of the 179-year-old news organization.
The promotion is part of several leadership changes across the company. Editors of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other Tribune newspapers also are taking on dual responsibilities as publishers of their news organizations.
In addition, Tim Ryan has been named president of publishing at Tribune. Ryan previously served as publisher of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego Union-Tribune. Before that he was publisher of The Sun and Allentown Morning Call.
Alatzas, 49, had been serving as senior vice president and executive editor of the Baltimore Sun Media Group since March 2013. He replaces Richard J. "Rick" Daniels as publisher. Daniels had taken over the role from Ryan in September.
"I am honored to work with such a terrific group of people each day, and we are committed to doing everything we can to continue building on The Sun's journalism and its businesses,” Alatzas said.
Born in Baltimore, Alatzas grew up in Baltimore County and worked as an intern at the now defunct Evening Sun. After working for news organizations in Rochester, N.Y., and Wilmington, Del., Alatzas returned to Baltimore and led the sports and business departments before becoming head of digital media and then the top editor.
“Creating exceptional content is core to Tribune Publishing’s civic mission and business strategy,” Tribune CEO Justin Dearborn said in a statement. “By giving our newsroom leaders dual responsibilities, we are ensuring our local brands remain vital to the communities they serve with our journalists and creators producing premium, compelling content across all mediums.”
Alatzas will continue to oversee Baltimore Sun Media Group properties including The Aegis, Towson Times and other community newspapers and websites.
During his tenure, The Sun has expanded its investigative brand and won more than 20 national journalism awards for breaking news coverage of the Columbia Mall shooting and investigations of police brutality, the public health impact of violence on city residents and compensation claims by school workers hurt by students. The Sun’s coverage of the aftermath of Freddie Gray’s death was recognized with two awards from the Online News Association in 2015 for breaking news and explanatory reporting. The Sun also was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in 2014.
In an email to Baltimore Sun Media Group employees Wednesday morning, Alatzas said: "As I take on my new role as Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Baltimore Sun Media Group, I feel fortunate that I am inheriting a talented, dedicated and hard-working team that is committed to providing quality journalism, result-driven advertising solutions and terrific customer service. I am confident that we are well positioned for Tribune Publishing’s content-first approach for our news organization. BSMG is filled with creative, passionate and diligent people who demand the best for our readers and advertisers across all mediums. As I continue to lead our newsrooms, I look forward to playing an active role in collaborating with our operational and advertising departments. Working once again with Tim Ryan, we will continue to ensure that we meet our local-market and company business objectives.
"I want to thank you in advance for your support and commitment to moving our businesses forward."
In other moves at Tribune Publishing, Tony Hunter has been promoted to president of national revenue and strategic initiatives, charged with tapping national advertising, and Malcolm CasSelle has been named president of new ventures to lead technology initiatives and digital expansion.
Tribune – and the newspaper industry – has been beset by years of declining print circulation and advertising revenue, amid a fractured media landscape.
The leadership changes come one week after Dearborn replaced Jack Griffin as CEO and one month after tech entrepreneur Michael Ferro became the company’s top shareholder. In 2014, after Tribune Co. emerged from bankruptcy, Griffin helped spin off the publishing properties from broadcast and entertainment assets in Tribune Media Co.
Denise Warren, a former New York Times executive who became president of digital and CEO of Tribune's East Coast newspapers last May, has also left the company. Technology executive Malcolm CasSelle was hired last month to head up digital initiatives.
Warren converted the newspaper websites from a premium model to a metered paywall, allowing visitors to view a certain number of stories online each month before requiring a paid subscription. The Chicago Tribune implemented the new online platform last month.
“We thank Denise for her leadership, which, in a very short period of time, has resulted in measurable improvements in Tribune Publishing’s digital traffic, engagement numbers, ad impression growth and a significant pivot in the Company's digital subscription approach that is already achieving record performance,” Dearborn said in a statement.
The company also announced it will begin to offer all Tribune Publishing print subscribers free unlimited digital access beginning in April.
Also on Wednesday, Tribune Publishing announced that Ferro, who is chairman of the company, has donated his Chicago Sun-Times stake to a charitable trust to avoid perceived conflicts of interest.