Zell's F-words prove too much for Tribune staff

Billionaire Sam Zell is traveling the United States using pep talks laced with profanity to exhort Tribune Co's 19,000 employees to be more creative or risk seeing their jobs disappear.

The real estate mogul turned chairman of Chicago-based Tribune has used the F-word and called himself the human equivalent of Viagra to address what ails one of the company's newspapers, the 126-year-old Los Angeles Times.

Zell, 66, has been telling staff members at Tribune's nine newspapers and 23 local television stations that he wants to cut bureaucracy and encourage quick decision-making and more collaboration among newspapers, TV and the Internet. Management experts say that while his choice of language risks offending people, he may succeed in forcing change.

"That free-wheeling, shake-things-up way of behaving isn't for everyone, but it is effective for reaching those people who are willing to embrace new ways of doing their jobs," said management consultant Karissa Thacker, an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware's business school in Newark, who works with executives at Pfizer Inc and Morgan Stanley.

Some of Zell's employees object to the language he uses and complain that he hasn't clearly stated what Tribune's new strategy should be.

'Doesn't need to swear'

"He doesn't need to swear to get our attention," said Julie Cart, a 25-year reporter at the Los Angeles Times.

"We see how newsrooms are shrinking. Zell makes a lot of noise but he hasn't articulated the new model other than saying we're doing it wrong," she said.

In a Jan 31 meeting at the Orlando Sentinel, a female photographer asked whether Tribune's newspapers risked being dumbed-down. Zell replied and, as the audience was applauding, added "f--- you".

Zell later tried to reach the photographer to apologize, said Sentinel spokeswoman Ashley Allen.

On Feb 7, he told Los Angeles Times employees that Internet pornography could be viewed at work provided it didn't hamper productivity.

"Let me know if you find any good sites," he said.

Zell, who has described himself as a "grave dancer" for his purchase of out-of-favor assets, became the object of discussion on media and journalism websites after videos of his talks were posted on the Internet. His speaking tour began in January and is expected to conclude this month.

Agencies

(China Daily 03/11/2008 page16)