MARCONI DREAMS

I just saw in the New York Times that Ann Marie Lipinski, the Tribune’s editor, is resigning, saying

“…this position is not the fit it once was.”

Hardly surprising, and not the first Trib editor to “ankle.” (Love that word.) Sam Zell, real estate and radio mogul, who bought The Tribune Company earlier this year, has worked hard to create a hostile workplace for anybody used to the newspaper business and unfamiliar with the inner workings of the radio business.

Sam brought in his wild boy from his Jacor Broadcasting days, Randy Michaels, who brought along his whoopee cushions to corporate executive suites. Zell has set Randy and his gang loose on the newspaper business, which has not been known for placing promotion above content, as radio does. No wonder newspaper people are diving out the portholes. Cutting the budget is one thing. Sending in the clowns is another.

Not that newspapers don’t need a tonic. But the “creativity” that brought U.S. radio to its current pretty pass is not it.

Jerry Del Colliano, radio’s Jeremiah, thinks Zell and Michaels are staffing up to take over the crippled Clear Channel station collection, and their newspaper hijinks are just make-work activity to keep the boys busy until deals are made. I mean, how much harm can they do to the ink-stained corpse. I say, never underestimate the power of radio guys to devalue the china shop to a dollar store. If you get my drift.