Tribune Co. combines newspaper, TV ops in Conn.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Tribune Co., a newspaper publisher and television station owner operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, said Monday that it has combined a newspaper and two TV operations in Connecticut in a bid to become more efficient and cut costs.

The move puts the operations of The Hartford Courant and WTIC-TV and WTXX-TV in Hartford under one roof, an unusual pairing, and places a TV executive in charge of both.

The Chicago-based company said Monday that Richard Graziano, the general manager of the two TV stations, will become the publisher of Courant.

He replaces Steve Carver who has been publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-winning paper since November 2006. The Courant is the nation's oldest continuously published newspaper with a weekday circulation of about 165,000 and Sundays at 235,000.

The TV stations, the only two local stations in Hartford, will broadcast news from a new studio to be constructed in the paper's newsroom. They each plan to add two half-hour broadcasts, at noon and 6 p.m.

"This is the future of media," said Randy Michaels, Tribune's chief operating officer, said in a statement. "Whether in print, over the air, or online — the delivery mechanism isn't as important as the unique, rich nature of the content provided."

Tribune filed for bankruptcy protection from creditors in December. It also owns the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun as well as 23 TV stations and the Chicago Cubs baseball team.