I was unable to attend Tierney’s Wharton Leadership Lunch at the University of Pennsylvania. Fortunately, I am a close friend with someone who did. This anonymous writer is well grounded in the disciplines of business, politics, economics, and the business of journalism.
These are his thoughts, presented without any of my commentary (previously).
Brian Tierney — CEO of Philadelphia Media Holdings, CEO and Publisher of The Philadelphia Inquirer, and CEO of The Philadelphia Daily News — visited the University of Pennsylvania today for a “Leadership Lunch” with undergraduate students. He arrived 20 minutes late, bustling and jovial, no apology. His public relations background shows; he is an optimistic, outsized media personality, all confident and energetic. He uses the pronouns “my” and “I” often, very few references to the credit due his employees or co-investors — except editor William Marimow, to whom we will return. (Perhaps, given the current state of the company, they are grateful that he takes all the credit.)
Tierney opened with a brief biography, then segued into the challenges of the Inquirer and Daily News.
