Many Ex-Jacor/Clear Channel Execs Exit Tribune Company

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: Some are getting the boot, while others are jumping off the ship before they get pushed off. Many of the former Jacor and Clear Channel radio people hired by Randy Michaels are suddenly exiting Tribune Co. The Chicago Tribune's media writer Phil Rosenthal, along with reporter Steve Mills, are reporting the exits of five of Randy Michaels' early hires. : Those ex-Jacor/Clear Channel executives leaving are Marc Chase, Jeff Kapugi, Carolyn Gilbert, John Phillips, and Betsy Howard Phillips. : Marc Chase was a radio programmer friend of Michaels from Ohio who was picked to run Tribune Interactive. : Jeff Kapugi, who was first hired as the Vice President of Content Tribune Interactive, and later promoted to Chief Operating Officer of Tribune Interactive, was asked to leave. According to Phil Rosenthal's article, Kapugi was told his position was eliminated. : Radio researcher Carolyn Gilbert was named as Executive Vice President of the Multimedia Sales Group by Randy Michaels, who had worked with her for many years in Ohio with Jacor. The hiring was seen as a "thank you" for years of friendship and not because of any deep roots in multimedia sales. : A surprise to nobody is the departure of John Phillips and his wife Betsy Howard Phillips. John Phillips was a former radio traffic reporter who had befriended Randy Michaels in Ohio. Although he possessed absolutely no experience in managing a giant, landmark, urban building, he was brought to Chicago and given the position of Director of Tribune Tower. His wife, who came with him to Chicago, was then given a job by Randy Michaels and the title of Vice President of Sales Representation. It was John Phillips who posted up numerous pictures on his Facebook account of the Randy Michaels poker party, which later were anonymously sent to Robert Feder, who wrote about the "desecration" of the fabled McCormick office. : Counting Randy Michaels' exit, who left just over a week ago, this makes six ex-Clear Channel/ex-Jacor employees out the door. (Lee Abrams, who also recently was forced to resign, was never part of Jacor or Clear Channel.) : According to Rosenthal & Mills, this is only the beginning. Many other ex-Jacor/Clear Channel pals of Randy Michaels will very soon be forced out. The Tribune is clearing house now, before new creditor-run ownership takes over and before these "seeing the future" executives could possibly hurt the company's image more. : So expect more big departures to be announced soon.

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