A Q&A with Ed Wilson, president of Tribune Broadcasting (23 TV stations, WGN-AM Chicago and cable's WGN America) and chief revenue officer at all of Tribune Co's properties, which include the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Baltimore Sun. Under protection of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Tribune's management is working hard to align revenues, costs and debt and demonstrate upside in a way that will appease the unhappy debt holders. Wilson has merged the Tribune CW affiliates in St. Louis (KPLR) and Denver (KWGN) with Fox affiliates there belonging to Local TV. He's also merged the operations of Tribune's newspaper (Sun-Sentinel) and TV station (WSFL) in South Florida and is in the process of doing the same with its paper (Hartford Courant) and TV stations (WTIC and WTXX) in Hartford (CT). But at the same time Tribune is squeezing dollars out of its operations though whatever efficiencies it can find, it is expanding news and other local programming at TV stations where it makes sense in hopes of putting them — and the company — on a path to long-term growth.
