The Tribune Publishing Co., the parent of the Los Angeles Times, has announced that they have appointed Timothy E. Ryan as the Publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego-Union Tribune, according to a press release issued by the Tribune Publishing.
The appointment follows the Tribune Publishing's firing of Austin Beutner, who recently held the position of Publisher and CEO of the Los Angeles Times and The San Diego-Union Tribune.
Jack Griffin, CEO of Tribune Publishing, said in the press release that Ryan "is one of the country's most accomplished publishing executives."
"His operational expertise and proven leadership have produced numerous innovations at The Baltimore Sun and The Morning Call," he said. "Tim's successful track record of strategic acquisitions, revenue diversification and digital transformation are successful models for the industry and for our Company."
Ryan, who recently served as the Publisher and CEO of The Baltimore Sun and The Morning Call, spearheaded the acquisition of newspapers in Maryland, including The Capital in Annapolis, according to the press release.
The successful transaction and integration that Ryan orchestrated became the template for the Tribune Publishing's acquisitions.
Beutner said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that he was only given a vague explanation for his firing.
"They wanted to go in a different direction," he said. "We articulated a strategy when I got here. If Tribune was looking for a caretaker, they picked the wrong person."
Beutner adds in his Facebook post that he is "not departing by choice, nor is this some 'mutual agreement' on his part and Tribune Publishing."
He used social media to post his "Parting Thoughts" because he can't access his Los Angeles Times email anymore.
The Los Angeles Times said that Beutner had engineered the acquisition of the San Diego paper in May by the Tribune Publishing.
This was part of the strategy to consolidate the Southern California newspaper under common ownership to reduce production and distribution costs.
The Tribune Publishing formed the California News Group where the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego-Union Tribune and nine other community weeklies and digital properties where housed under, according to the press release.
The California News Group was put under the leadership of Beutner before he was fired.
