'Chicago Trib' Ups Whisler -- DePaola Will Head Tribune Media Net

By: E&P Staff Jack Whisler, who had been the Chicago Tribune's director of advertising sales, was named its vice president of advertising Monday, succeeding Ken DePaola who will now be the full-time president of Tribune Media Net, Tribune Co.'s national sales organization.

"These key executive moves are central to intensifying our focus on both local and national clients," said Scott Smith, Chicago Tribune publisher, president and CEO, said in a statement. "Ken has been an outstanding leader of the ad department, significantly improving our capabilities and results in many vital ways. Simultaneously, he has headed Tribune Media Net these past two years. Moving forward, we will greatly benefit from Ken's full-time focus on servicing national sales and group-wide advertising initiatives."

Whisler joined the Chicago Tribune in January 2001 as local national sales manager, responsible for the financial, tourism, telecommunication and utility categories. In January 2006, he was promoted to director of advertising sales where he has been responsible for national retail and local national sales.
Before joining the Tribune, Whisler managed the Dallas regional sales office for the Tribune's Los Angeles Times from 1998 to 2001. He began his newspaper career in 1990 at Pioneer Press in Glenview, Ill., a chain of community papers owned by Sun-Times Media Group.

DePaola, a former associate publisher of the Chicago Sun-Times, was named the Tribune's vice president/advertiser marketing and sales in October 2001. In 2005, he was also given the job of heading Tribune Media Net as president.