Tribune has lost yet another senior executive as Clark Morehouse has left his position as head of Tribune Entertainment to join digital network .2. Pronounced “dot-2,” the network launches December 8 and offers entertainment programming on stations’ digital channels.
Morehouse, who left in early July, is another of several recent high-level Tribune departures, including WGN Chicago general manager Tom Ehlmann, WGN America G.M. Bill Shaw and broadcasting EVP John Vitanovec. His title was executive vice president and general manager of Tribune Entertainment. Representatives for Tribune declined to comment the departures.
Morehouse is now senior VP and chief revenue officer at .2, which is owned by Guardian Enterprise Group. He told B&C he started looking around when Tribune began shutting down its syndication business, and found a match in .2, which he’d done business with as a program supplier. He liked that .2 had a startup quality to it, but was backed by a group of experienced broadcasters. (Guardian recently sold WSFJ Columbus [OH].)
“They’d been in the broadcast business and had a functionality that other startups couldn’t match,” says Morehouse.
Based in New York, Morehouse says his primary role is to “essentially deliver revenue.” .2’s model involves sharing revenue from paid programming with stations. As stations extend their reach with digital channels, they look to multicast options like .2, Retro TV Network (RTN) and LATV. Morehouse says the network will reach 30% of the country at launch.
Morehouse says he’s energized by his new mission. “I’m excited to build something from the ground up,” he says. “This is exactly what I was looking for, and I’m glad I found them.”
.2 President/CEO Richard Schilg says Morehouse’s track record will serve the newbie well: “His experience and reputation will help ensure our success and the success of our affiliates.”
