Michaels Weighs Comeback Plans

"I may go buy some media, I may go run some media, I don't know," he said. "My phone's been ringing. There are a lot of people who look past noise and emotions and look at results."

In his first interview since unflattering accounts of Tribune's corporate culture led to his resignation, Mr. Michaels talked to Russell Adams at  wsj.com about the recent developments that ended his career, what he regrets, the health of the business and what he thinks of the board that replaced him.

Michaels said a "careless" and "indefensible" memo from one of his top lieutenants did him in, validating his critics and ultimately cutting short what he thought could have been a long run at the media company.

Tribune under Mr. Michaels and his team had been dogged by allegations of a frat-house culture that were detailed in a New York Times article early last month.  Michaels disputes that characterization.

"The environment at Tribune was inclusive, tolerant, fun, creative and sometimes irreverent, but with a purpose," Michaels said.

Michaels said his chief regret is he moved too quickly to implement changes while the company was in flux and rumors about management were swirling, causing an already change-averse culture to "wait things out."

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