While industry eyes remain on the impending absorption of Tribune’s broadcast and cable properties by Sinclair, Zimmer is keeping it business as impressively usual when it comes to Tribune’s distribution business model. She led the biggest area of growth for Tribune with an unprecedented volume of year-end MVPD renewals in 2016, and the company’s retrans and carriage fee revenues both rose during Q1 this year. These deals were realized after Zimmer, in just a little more than a year, converted Tribune’s WGN America from superstation to cable network designation. “Strong content, including live sports, will continue to drive viewership demand regardless of the device or platform,” she says.
