Another Tribune Veteran Executive Exits

by TVB Staff | August 28, 2008

The executive vice president of broadcasting at Tribune, John Vitanovec, has resigned. Vitanovec had been with the company at various jobs for the last 25 years. He was running Tribune flagship station WGN when he was bumped up to oversee stations in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Indianapolis and several other cities. He was most recently running KTLA-TV in Los Angeles in the wake of management changes at that station.

Under Sam Zell’s ownership, Tribune has made several management changes at its TV stations. John Riggle, another 25-year Tribune veteran who ran WPMT-TV in the Susquehanna Valley area of Pennsylvania will be leaving the company Sept. 1. Clark Morehouse, head of Tribune Entertainment; Tom Ehlmann, general manager of WGN's Chicago operation; and Bill Shaw, general manager of WGN's America operation, have also left the company.

Steve Charlier was recently appointed senior vice president of news and operations after running several stations for Local TV of Fort Wright, Ky., Tribune’s management partner. Ray Schonbak, brought in last March to oversee an affiliate transition at KSWB-TV in San Diego, was elevated to executive vice president with oversight of several Fox and CW affiliates. Betty Ellen Berlamino, formerly vice president and general manager of WPIX-TV in New York, was promoted to president of the station, and Richard Graziano, vice president and general manager of Tribunes two Hartford, Conn., stations, was bumped up to senior vice president and given oversight of stations in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

All will report to Ed Wilson, president of Tribune Broadcasting.