Document:

EX-10.17

 Exhibit 10.17 
  

					
	 Donald J Liebentritt Executive Vice President and General Counsel

312/222-3651
	 	TRIBUNE	 	 Tribune Company
 435 North Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60611
 fax: 312/222-4206

email: dliebentritt@tribune.com

 August 1, 2008 

Mr. Eddy Hartenstein 
 1515 Hidden Valley Road 

Thousand Oaks, California 91361 
 Dear Eddy: 

We are pleased to offer you employment with Tribune Company (the “Company”) as the Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the
Los Angeles Times, commencing on August 18, 2008 (the “Employment Start Date”). 
 1. As Publisher and Chief Executive
Officer of the Los Angeles Times, you will report to the Company’s Chief Operating Officer, and perform the duties customarily associated with such position, including such specific duties as the Company may from time to time request.
You will be expected to perform faithfully and loyally and to the best of your abilities the duties assigned to you and to devote your full business time, attention and effort to the affairs of the Los Angeles Times, and use your reasonable
best efforts to promote the interests of the Company and its affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may serve, or continue to serve, as a member of the board of directors of such companies as shall be mutually agreed upon by you and the
Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Compensation Committee”), however, you will be expected to resign from the boards of directors of all other companies on which you currently serve as a member. 

2. Your base salary will be paid, in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices, at an initial annual rate of $600,000 (less
any withholdings and deductions required by law or authorized by you). Your base salary will be reviewed by the Compensation Committee at the end of each calendar year, and may be increased, but not decreased, in its sole discretion. You will be
paid a one-time cash bonus of $500,000 (the “ Signing Bonus”) within ten (10) business days after your Employment Start Date; provided, however, that of you terminate your employment with the Company or are terminated by the
Company for Cause (as defined in the Tribune Company 2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan (the “ME1P”)) within twelve (12) months of your Employment Start Date, you agree to repay the entire Signing Bonus to the Company (less
withholding taxes and applicable deductions that had been made at the time that you were paid the Signing Bonus) within thirty (30) calendar days after the effective date of your termination of employment. 

 3. For the year 2008 and for each subsequent year you are employed by the Company, you will be
eligible to receive an annual bonus based on performance measures to be determined and mutually agreed upon by you and the Compensation Committee. If the applicable performance measures are satisfied at the target level, the amount of your annual
bonus will be equal to 100% of your annual base salary (less any withholdings and deductions required by law or authorized by you). Any bonus earned for the year 2008 shall be prorated for the period of your employment in 2008; provided,
however, that in no event will you will receive an annual bonus of less than $300,000 for 2008. If your employment is terminated by reason of your death or disability (defined below), or by the Company (other than for Cause [defined above]), you
(or your estate) shall receive a prorata portion of your annual bonus for the year in question provided the bonus is earned based on actual performance for the entire year. “Disability” means any illness, injury, accident or condition of
either a physical or psychological nature and, as a result, you are unable to substantially perform your duties and responsibilities hereunder, with or without reasonable accommodation, for 180 days during any period of 365 consecutive days. 

4. Effective as of your Employment Start Date, you will receive a grant of First Tranche Units equal to 0.50% of the Company’s fully
diluted shares (or roughly 543,000 First Tranche Units) pursuant to the MEIP (the “Units”). Such Units shall vest and be settled in accordance with the terms of the MEIP (i.e., 33% of the Units vesting on the first anniversary of
your Employment Start Date and settled upon the fourth anniversary of your Employment Start Date, another 33% of the Units vesting on the second anniversary of your Employment Start Date and settled upon the sixth anniversary of your Employment
Start Date, and the remaining Units vesting on the third anniversary of your Employment Start Date, and settled upon the eighth anniversary of your Employment Start Date). 

5. You will receive, and be eligible to participate in, the employee benefit plans and programs that the Company makes available generally to
its similarly situated senior executives, subject to the terms and conditions of such plans and programs as they may exist from time to time. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, suspend, or terminate any or all such employee benefit
plans and programs at any time. 
 6. We are extending this offer to you on the condition that you not use or disclose to the Company any
confidential information of anyone that you previously worked for, and with the understanding that your employment with the Company will not violate or be restricted by any noncompetition or other agreement with anyone else. If this is not the case,
please inform us immediately. In addition, during your term of employment with Company and during the Severance Period, if any, provided for in paragraph 7 below, you shall not, directly or indirectly, whether as owner, partner, investor,
consultant, agent, executive or managerial employee, co-venturer or otherwise, compete with the Company or any of its affiliates within the United States or undertake any planning for any business competitive with the Company or any of its
Affiliates. Specifically, but without limiting the foregoing, you agree not to engage in any manner in any activity that is directly or indirectly competitive with the business of the Company or any of its affiliates as conducted or under
consideration at any time during your employment. Restricted activity includes without Limitation, providing services, directly or indirectly, with or without compensation, whether as an executive or managerial employee, independent contractor,

 
officer, director or otherwise, to any person who does, or has plans to become, a competitor of the business of the Company or any of its affiliates. The foregoing restrictions shall not preclude
you from retaining or making passive investment interests of less than two percent (2%) in corporations whose stock is registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. 

7. Please note that the purpose of this letter is merely to describe the terms of your employment. This letter does not constitute a contract
of employment and does not create any right to continued employment for any period of time. However, if your employment is terminated by the Company (other than for Cause, or other than by reason of your death or disability), then, during the
Severance Period (defined below), the Company shall (1) continue to pay you your base salary at the rate in effect on the date of termination and (2) pay the you an amount equal to your annual bonus for the period in question, if and as
earned based on actual performance for the period, payable in equal installments at the same time the base salary hereunder is paid (each such payment being hereinafter referred to as a “Severance Payment”, and for purposes of
Section 409A, each Severance Payment shall be treated as a separate payment). The Severance Period shall be equal to 24 months minus the number of months between the Employment Start Date and the date of termination, but not less than 12
months. 
 To indicate your acceptance of this offer, please sign this letter in the space below and return it to me. In the meantime,
please do not hesitate to call me should you have any questions. 
  

	
	Very truly yours,
	
	 /s/ Donald J. Liebentritt

	Donald J. Liebentritt
	Executive Vice President and General Counsel

  

	
	AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED
	
	 /s/ Eddy Hartenstein

	Eddy Hartenstein

  
 3EX-10.18

 Exhibit 10.18 

Tribune Company 
 435 N. Michigan
Avenue 
 Chicago, Illinois 60611 

May 4, 2011 
 Mr. Eddy Hartenstein 

1515 Hidden Valley Road 
 Thousand Oaks, California 91361 

Dear Eddy: 
 We are pleased to confirm your
appointment to serve as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Tribune Company (the “Company”) commencing as of May 6, 2011 (the “Effective Date”). This letter confirms the terms of your appointment and is an addendum
to your pre-existing letter agreement with the Company dated August 1, 2008 (the “August 1, 2008 Letter Agreement”): 
 1. As
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, you will report to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”), and perform the duties customarily associated with such position, including such specific duties as the Company
may from time to time request. You also will continue to serve as and perform the duties of Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Times. You will be expected to perform faithfully and loyally and to the best of your
abilities the duties assigned to you and to devote your business time, attention and effort to the affairs of the Company and its affiliates, and to use your reasonable best efforts to promote the interests of the Company and its affiliates. 

2. As of the Effective Date, your base salary will be increased to an annualized rate of $1,000,000 (less any withholding and deductions
required by law or authorized by you), and paid in accordance with the Company’s regular payroll practices. 
 3. In lieu of the annual
bonus terms set forth in the first two sentences of Paragraph 3 of the August 1, 2008 Letter Agreement, for each calendar year during your employment commencing with 2011, you shall be eligible to participate in such annual cash Management Incentive
Plan, if any, as the Company may implement for non-sales management personnel generally for any such calendar year (each, an “MIP”), subject to the applicable performance measures and other terms and conditions of any such MIP as are
determined by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee has set your MIP award potential at 135% of your annual base salary (less any withholding and deductions required by law or authorized by you); based on, among other things, the
Company’s financial performance and your leadership performance. For 2011 you will have a pro-rated MIP award based on your previous compensation through May 1, 2011 and based on your new compensation for the remainder of the calendar year. As
CEO, the MIP financial performance target award of 100% will be based on delivering Consolidated Operating Cash Flow that was presented to the Board at the April 25, 2011 Board of Directors Meeting. The Compensation Committee, at its
discretion, can raise your award higher for both financial performance and other relevant factors. If the 

 
Company is required to seek Bankruptcy Court approval for payment of your MIP award, the Company will do so in good faith to provide for your participation in any applicable MIP for any such year
during your employment. 
 4. The Company recognizes that you intend to retain your present domicile in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
and therefore will reimburse you, in accordance with Company policy (as in effect or amended from time to time), for all reasonable and necessary travel-related expenses incurred by you in connection with commuting to the Company’s Chicago,
Illinois headquarters and for such other business-related travel in which you may engage in the course of your duties for the Company, including without limitation reasonable and documented airfare, hotel/lodging and meal expenses per Company
policy. 
 5. Since the Company’s Chapter 11 filing, the Company has not made, and will not be making, any further grants under the
Tribune Company 2007 Management Equity Incentive Plan (the “MEIP”), including as referenced in Paragraph 4 of the August 1, 2008 Letter Agreement, and will not be continuing the MElP after emergence from bankruptcy. 

6. Except as provided in this letter agreement, all other provisions of your August 1, 2008 Letter Agreement remain unchanged. 

7. This letter agreement and the August 1, 2008 Letter Agreement (together, “the Letter Agreements”) shall be interpreted and
construed in a manner that avoids the imposition of taxes and other penalties under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). Payments made under the Letter Agreements are also intended to be exempt
from Section 409A of the Code to the maximum extent possible, under either the separation pay exemption pursuant to Treasury regulation §1.409A-1(b)(9)(iii) or as short-term deferrals pursuant to Treasury regulation §1.409A-l(b)(4).
In the event the terms of the Letter Agreements would subject you to taxes or penalties under Section 409A of the Code (“409A Penalties), the Company and you shall cooperate diligently to amend the terms of the Letter Agreements, as
applicable, to avoid such 409A Penalties, to the extent possible; provided that in no event shall the Company be responsible for any 409A Penalties that arise in connection with any amounts payable under the Letter Agreements. To the extent any
amounts under the Letter Agreements are payable by reference to your “termination of employment,” such term shall be deemed to refer to your “separation from service” within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. Each
payment and benefit under the Letter Agreements shall constitute a “separately identified” amount within the meaning of Treasury Regulation § l.409A-2(b)(2). Any reimbursement payable to you pursuant to the Letter Agreements shall be
conditioned on the submission by you of all expense reports reasonably required by the Company under any applicable expense reimbursement policy, and shall be paid within the time period set forth in such policy, but in no event later than the last
day of the calendar year following the calendar year in which you incurred the reimbursable expense. Any amount of expenses eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefit provided during a calendar year shall not affect the amount of expenses
eligible for reimbursement or in-kind benefit to be provided during any other calendar year. The right to reimbursement or to an in-kind benefit pursuant to this letter agreement shall not be subject to liquidation or exchange for any other benefit.
Notwithstanding any other provision in the Letter Agreements, if on the date of your separation from service (as defined in Section 409A of the Code) (i) the Company is a publicly traded corporation and (ii) you are a

  
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“specified employee,” as defined in Section 409A of the Code, then to the extent any amount payable under the Letter Agreements (a) constitutes the payment of nonqualified
deferred compensation, within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code, (b) is payable upon your separation from service, and (c) under the terms of the Letter Agreements would be payable prior to the six (6) month anniversary of
your separation from service, such payment shall be delayed until the earlier to occur of (x) the first business day following the six-month anniversary of your separation from service or (y) the date of your death. 

Eddy, we congratulate you on your offer and sincerely hope that you will accept. To do so, please sign this letter in the space below and
return it to me. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to call me should you have any questions. 
  

	
	Very truly yours,
	
	 /s/ Maggie Wilderotter

	Maggie Wilderotter
	Chairperson, Compensation Committee of the Tribune Company Board of Directors

  

	
	AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED:
	
	 /s/ Eddy Hartenstein

	Eddy Hartenstein

  
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