More on Tribune's publisher exit

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: Tribune's publisher to exit : Smith agrees on need for change, questions scope : : Chicago Tribune Publisher Scott C. Smith announced Thursday that he will leave the company, indicating he agrees that parent Tribune Co. must change but not necessarily in the ways being discussed by Chairman Sam Zell. : News of Smith's imminent departure after more than 30 years with Tribune Co. comes just one week after Zell and Chief Operating Officer Randy Michaels announced sweeping plans to redesign Tribune Co.'s papers and reduce the number of pages in response to worse-than-expected publishing revenue declines. : But in an interview, Smith said that move didn't precipitate his departure. He had never intended to stay beyond assisting the Zell team with its transition, and this seemed an opportune time to move on. : "If there's going to be the next new wave of important changes, it's important that those decisions be made by people who are going to own the outcomes and that frankly wasn't my likely time horizon," said Smith, 57, who began his second stint as Chicago Tribune publisher in 2006. : "What I don't think is helpful with me moving on is to get into those specifics because it won't be up to me to figure it out," he said. "I feel good there is agreement on the high-level goals and … I've led as much change as I feel like I'm capable of." : Michaels has said he wants to see the redesign and page reductions in place at all Tribune Co. papers by the end of September. : "We've got to be aggressive and try very aggressive things. I'm all for that," Smith said. "But exactly which things to try and what pace you can do them at, while serving customers well, has to be determined." : Michaels, in a note to Chicago Tribune staff, said Smith had been "helpful as we implement our plans for the future," and noted that Smith was instrumental in helping Tribune Co. go public 25 years ago and again as it went private last year. : 'Criticism is easy' : But Zell and Michaels have been unfailingly critical of the way Tribune Co. was run before their arrival, and Smith was part of that previous management group as head of Tribune Publishing. Michaels now oversees the company's papers. : Asked if he felt the new leaders have unfairly maligned the past regime, Smith allowed that "criticism is easy" and "it's what you do to make it better that matters." : "Time will tell" if the criticism was valid, he said. "I would say we were never as top-down as portrayed." : Culture clash evident : Dean Singleton, chief executive of Denver-based MediaNews Group Inc., said he wasn't surprised Smith was departing, given the clash between traditional Tribune Co. culture and Zell's freewheeling approach. The styles extended to neckwear, with Smith eschewing ties in recent weeks in line with the open-collared Zell team, although he notably wore one for his announcement Thursday. : Singleton called Smith "one of the stars of our generation," citing as evidence the fact that under his leadership, Tribune put out critically acclaimed newspapers with "some of the best operating margins in the business." : Besides making the Chicago Tribune a national leader among major metropolitan dailies in reader-to-revenue ratio, Smith gets credit for supporting the newsroom's push to home-deliver the extra edition of the Chicago Tribune published after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. : Smith also shepherded the launch of the innovative free commuter tabloid RedEye that has become an industry prototype for reaching new readers and Tribune Co.'s acquisition of Chicago magazine. : As for setbacks, including unrest at the company's Los Angeles Times on his watch as publishing chief, Smith said, "Part of being a leader and taking risks is not everything works. … I would say my track record is more wins than losses over a career. I wish I had been able to accomplish more as head of publishing." : Smith, who grew up in the Chicago area, joined Tribune Co. in 1977 in its finance department and, over time, served in a variety of roles including chief financial officer and senior vice president of development. : His first turn as Chicago Tribune publisher was from 1997 to 2005, before which time he was publisher of Tribune Co.'s South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He re-assumed the reins of the Chicago Tribune when David Hiller was transferred to become publisher of the Los Angeles Times. : "There's been a lot of chaos in the world and in the company in the time he's been publisher, and he's navigated it with tremendous skill and calm," Chicago Tribune Editor Ann Marie Lipinski said. : Compensation outlined : A document filed in March with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that Smith will exit Tribune Co. with severance and other benefits of $4.7 million and a payment of $2.1 million to settle up his ownership stake in the privatized Tribune Co. : The company will also provide a "gross-up" benefit estimated in the document at $2.6 million to cover any extra taxes Smith might incur as a result of the severance deal. : In leaving Tribune Co., Smith expressed confidence in the personnel that will remain behind. : "If there's one thing I've learned in 30 years," he said, "it's success is determined by great people far more than great plans because plans need to change, but great people change with the times." : : (Chicago Tribune)

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