The Deal from Hell (51 page)

1
In April 1999, John Madigan
Author's interview with John Madigan, Chicago, IL, winter 2008. The author interviewed Madigan after he had left the Tribune Company.

1
hadn't flown to San Diego merely
“Aggressive plans unveiled as NAA publishers meet,” by David Noack and Joe Nicholson,
Editor & Publisher
, May 1, 1999. The author got details of the meeting from this story and interviews with John Madigan, Chicago, IL, 2008; and Mark Willes, Salt Lake City, UT, 2010. In addition, he looked up weather reports to get details for the time of the meeting.

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He drove earnings into the stratosphere
2003 Annual Report, Tribune Company, February 2004. The earnings data and computation of the stock value came from data in the company's annual report announcing Madigan's retirement.

2
he had challenged David Hiller
Author's interviews with John Madigan, Chicago, IL, 2008; and David Hiller, Chicago, IL, winter 2008, and winter 2010.

3
Sitting upstairs in his room
Author's interview with Mark Willes, Salt Lake City, UT, 2010. Willes' interview with the author was the first time that he discussed his experience as the chairman of Times Mirror since he left the job in 2000.

3
At thirty-five, he'd been named
“Mark Willes, Ahead of the Times,” by Edward L. Carter,
Marriott Alumni Magazine
, Brigham Young University, Summer 2001. Willes taught at Brigham Young, and the alumni magazine did a feature story on him.

3
In 1998, advertisers had pumped
“Aggressive plans unveiled as NAA publishers meet,” by David Noack and Joe Nicholson,
Editor & Publisher
, May 1, 1999. The discussion of ad revenues and the quotes from the NAA meeting came from this report.

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in the New Century Network
“New Century Network Announced,” Press Release, April 1995. The author discussed the New Century Network with David
Hiller during interviews in Chicago, IL, winter 2008, and winter 2010; and Charles Brumback during interviews in Sarasota, FL, May 2010, and by telephone, 2008–2010.

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Craig Newmark, an ex-computer
Numerous news reports document that Newmark started craigslist as a site for his friends, and that after it became popular, he decided to organize it into a business.

5
Using banks of computers, Sergey Brin and Larry Page
Googled
, by Ken Auletta (New York: Penguin Press, 2009). Auletta's book is an excellent source of information on Google. The author also examined several articles about the early days of the start-up.

5
Matt Drudge rooted through
“Hot links served up daily,” by Joel Sappell,
Los Angeles Times
, August 4, 2007.

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boasting a combined daily circulation
“New Century Network Announced,” Press Release, April 1995. The author discussed the New Century Network with David Hiller during interviews in Chicago, IL, winter 2008, and winter 2010; and Charles Brumback during interviews in Sarasota, FL, May 2010, and by telephone, 2008–2010. The author also interviewed James Cutie, a
New York Times
executive who was involved in the effort, by phone in February 2011 and Harry Chandler, a member of the Chandler family who was a member of the NCN board.

6
For the design of the famous Tribune Tower,
Tribune Company Proxy Statement /Prospectus, May 5, 2000. The terms of the deal were announced in the document required of all public companies engaged in a merger by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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The paper had won two Pulitzer Prizes
The Pulitzer Prizes,
www.pulitzer.org
. References to Pulitzer Prizes appear on the Pulitzer website.

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America Online, which injected $1.2 billion
Author's interviews with Charles Brumback, Sarasota, FL, May 2010; and Scott C. Smith, Chicago, IL, December 2010. Scott Smith brought the AOL investment proposition to the
Chicago Tribune
. Smith told the author he originally proposed that the Tribune invest $5 million in AOL. He thought about recommending that they double the initial investment to $10 million but backed off at the end.

7
the
Los Angeles Times
had become widely respected,
Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty
, by Dennis McDougal (Cambridge: Perseus Publishing, 2001). The author relied heavily on MacDougal's book for the history of the
Los Angeles Times
and the Chandler family. MacDougal's book is an excellent, authoritative study of the family behind the
Times
. The narrative of
Privileged Son
ends as Tribune acquired Times Mirror.

8
In its day, the
Times'
blatantly Republican
The Powers That Be
, by David Halberstam (New York: Knopf, 1975).

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Though he didn't spell it out to Willes
Author's interview with John Madigan, Chicago, IL, winter 2008; and author's interview with Mark Willes, Salt Lake City, UT, 2010. In their respective interviews, both Madigan and Willes confirmed the details of their initial meeting and subsequent developments. As the author notes in the text, they disagreed on some details.

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When editors at other American papers
Author's telephone interview with Eugene Roberts, former editor of the
Philadelphia Inquirer
and managing editor of the
New York Times
, summer 2009. The author also personally heard complaints about the industry's use of the
Chicago Tribune
as a financial yardstick during his career at the paper.

15
Gene Raffensperger swung around
Author's telephone interview with Gene Raffensperger, March 2009. The author relied on his memory of the encounter but had details corroborated by Raffensperger.

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A statewide paper, the
Register
Covering Iowa: The History of the Des Moines Register and Tribune Company, 1849–1985
, by William B. Friedricks (Ames: Iowa State University Press, 2000). The sign with the
Register
's promotion was present when the author joined the staff in 1971.

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By far, the most memorable character
Author relied on his memory for some details on Jimmy Larson as well as “Longtime Register news editor dies,” by Ken Fuson,
Des Moines Register
, October 20, 2006.

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nearly 80 percent of Americans reported that
“Advancing Newspaper Media for the 21st Century
,”
Newspaper Association of America, 2009. The author relied on data prepared by the NAA business analysis and research department, W.R. Simmons and Associates Research, Inc., and the A.C. Nielsen Company, for newspaper readership data.

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The
Register
was one of the last papers
“Cowles Family Publishing Legacy,” by Herb Strentz. The papers, letters, and photos of the Cowles family are available for viewing at Drake University Cowles Library. The author relied on these papers for much of the history of the family in Iowa.

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They were people like Nick Kotz, whose exposé of
Details on Kotz, Mollenhoff, and others came from author's discussions over many years with numerous
Des Moines Register
reporters, including George Anthan.

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Jon Van, an Iowa native, who routinely
Author's interview with Jon Van, Chicago, IL, spring 2009. Van came into the newsroom every Saturday morning for years, took the phone, and followed up on leads provided by the state editor of the
Register
.

25
Kruidenier beefed up the business operations
“Cowles Family Publishing Legacy,” Drake University Cowles Library. David Kruidenier,Jr., was a grandson of Gardner Cowles, Sr.

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When, in 1931, Roy Howard of the Scripps Howard chain
The Press
, by A. J. Liebling (New York: Ballantine Books, 1964). Liebling was the
New Yorker
's press critic in the 1960s and wrote extensively on the
Tribune
and The Colonel.

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and publisher Stan Cook and editor Clayton Kirkpatrick
Author's interview with Stanton R. Cook, Kenilworth, IL, fall 2009. Also,
Oral History
, by Robert Wiedrich, McCormick Foundation, December 1996. In the interview, Cook also disclosed, for the first time, details of the
Chicago Tribune
's infamous decision to publish an editorial calling for the resignation of Richard M. Nixon.

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Jimmy Breslin, the iconic, hard-drinking
“A ‘Tabloid Guy' Calls It a Night After 41 Years with Murdoch,” by Tim Arango,
New York Times
, September 29, 2008.

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George de Lama, one of the paper's first
Author's telephone interview with George de Lama, summer 2009. In fact, the metro editor was not taken to the 18th District Police Station, or arrested. Toolen was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

35
Douglas Frantz recalled the ubiquitous
Conversation with Douglas Frantz. The author worked with Frantz at the
Chicago Tribune
and the
Los Angeles Times
. Frantz described the incident to the author when discussing the nature of Chicago.

36
what Joseph Medill, the paper's patriarch,
The Colonel, The Life and Legend of Robert R. McCormick
, by Richard Norton Smith (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997). The author relied on Smith's excellent biography for much of the Medill and McCormick history in the book. Some of the material on the Colonel came from the personal recollections of Kirkpatrick and others.

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In his will, he stipulated that
Comments of R. Bruce Dold, the current editorial page editor of the
Chicago Tribune
. Dold has repeated the story of Medill's will and the endorsement process in numerous places.

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The Midwest was America
The author relied on several passages in both Liebling's and Smith's books for the headlines and characterizations of the Colonel's political and cultural views and his linguistic preferences.

40
Every Saturday evening at 9 p.m.
The Press
, by A. J. Liebling (New York: Ballentine Books, 1964). The Colonel provided great material for Liebling's tongue-in-cheek humor.

43
Bleakwood Avenue runs through,
Author's interview with Leo Wolinsky, Los Angeles, CA, fall 2010; and by telephone, 2008–2010. The author interviewed Wolinsky several times over the course of researching and writing this book. In embarking on his research, the author knew that much had been written about the history of the
LA Times
but not much from someone who had actually worked at the paper for many years. The author decided to rely heavily on Wolinsky's history to provide a picture of the paper through the eyes of a credible, loyal employee.

44
In the 1950s, S.J. Perelman
Privileged Son: Otis Chandler and the Rise and Fall of the L.A. Times Dynasty
, by Dennis McDougal (Cambridge: Perseus Publishing, 2001). The author relied on McDougal's impressive book on the Chandler family and the
LA Times
for much of the history in this chapter. Some of the material was supplemented by personal recollections from his time as editor of the newspaper. The author also relied on “The Chandler Mystery,” by David Margolick,
Vanity Fair
, September 1996, for some details of Otis Chandler's life and career.

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institution that dominated the California Republican party
The Powers That Be
, by David Halberstam (New York: Knopf, 1975). The author also relied on Halberstam's book for history of the Chandlers, particularly the sections on the family's political leanings and for his reporting on Kyle Palmer, the political reporter and operative at the
LA Times.

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But Frank Merriam, the Republican candidate favored
The Campaign of the Century Upton Sinclair's E.P.I.C. Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics
, by Greg Mitchell (New York: Random House, 1992).

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“What is happening to us,” the editorial asked
“Peril to Conservatives,” signed editorial, Otis Chandler,
Los Angeles Times,
Sunday, March 12, 1961.

47
“Otis is Zeus.”
“The State of the American Newspaper: Down and Out in LA,” by William Prochnau,
American Journalism Review
, January/February 2000.

48
The
Los Angeles Times
circulates in an area
The author learned of details of the
Los Angeles Times
as editor of the newspaper from November 2006 to January 2008.

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“The way it was supposed to work,” recalls Pete King
Author's phone interview of Peter King, summer 2010. King also wrote an excellent in-depth newspaper article about the
Los Angeles Times'
role in the civic affairs of Los Angeles for the newspaper's 125th Anniversary.

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about “knocking the
New York Times
off its perch.”
The motive that King contradicted reportedly came from Otis Chandler on becoming publisher of the
LA Times.

50
Nowhere was the ability of the
Los Angeles Times
How Far Can a Piano Fly? And Other Tales From Column One in the Los Angeles Times
, An anthology of Column One stories with a forward by Patt Morrison (Los Angeles: Los Angeles Times Books, 2003). The anthology showcases some of the best writing in a newspaper by some of the
Times'
most gifted writers.

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At the top of the front page on March 12, 1961
Los Angeles Times
, March 21, 1961
.