Fred Eychaner realigns Newsweb management

Newsweb Corp.

Charley Gross, who’s been Chicago media magnate Fred Eychaner’s right-hand man for 25 years, is retiring as president and chief executive officer of Eychaner’s Newsweb Corp., the company announced Monday.

“It has been a remarkable 25 years,” Eychaner said of his association with Gross, who was named to the non-executive position of chairman emeritus. Newsweb plans to announce a new president and CEO later this month, according to a company statement.

Fred Eychaner

Gross, 61, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Eychaner continues as chairman and sole shareholder of Newsweb Corp., which he founded in 1971. In 2002 he sold WPWR-Channel 50 to Rupert Murdoch’s Fox Television for $425 million, and long has been one of the country’s most generous contributors to liberal candidates and causes.

Among Newsweb’s media operations are seven Chicago area radio stations, including progressive talk WCPT AM 820 and WCPT FM 92.5. The others are all time-brokered: WCPY FM 92.7 in Arlington Heights; WCPQ FM 99.9 in Park Forest; WAIT AM 850 in Crystal Lake; WSBC AM 1240 in Chicago; and WNDZ AM 750 in Portage, Indiana.

Charley Gross

Mark Pinski, who has been general manager of the time-brokered stations, will take on the additional role of general manager of WCPT AM and FM.

In other management appointments announced Monday, Brian Linscott, who joined Newsweb earlier this year as a consultant overseeing the company’s printing operations, was named chief operating officer. He previously was chief financial officer for the Sun-Times and a managing director with Huron Consulting Group.

Joan Barry, who has been Newsweb’s chief financial officer since 2006, was promoted to executive vice president and CFO.