Brian Tierney ends term as newspapers’ CEO
Brian Tierney has been a controversial leader of the organization since he bought it in 2006.
Today marks the last day for the head of the Philadelphia Daily News, Inquirer and Philly.com. Brian Tierney has been a controversial leader of the organization since he bought it in 2006.
Tierney and a group of local investors bought the papers for half-a-million dollars. But a year ago he began a bitter bankruptcy dispute with creditors that ended recently with the creditors themselves purchasing the papers for $139 million.
Tierney calls his departure bittersweet.
“It’s with a certain sense of sadness frankly,” says Tierney. “The last four years have been spectacular. Journalistically the papers have improved. Our web traffic is through the roof. We’re the fastest growing news website in the world over the last 12 months.”
Tierney denies a City Paper report that he received a $300,000 severance package.
Although he steps down as CEO on Friday, Tierney will remain publisher until the end of the transfer to the new owners later in the summer.
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