Tribune CEO Peter Kern sent what is likely his last email to the employees of Tribune.

It is expected that Nexstar takes control of the Tribune stations tomorrow.

In the email obtained by FTVLive, Kern writes,”ou may all be feeling uncertain about what your future holds.” Of course, he does not point out that he is jumping out of the Tribune plane with a big gold parachute.

As to what will happen to the stations, is nothing more than a guessing game right now. But, it should be interesting and it all should start tomorrow.

Hang On!

Here is the email:

-------- Original message --------

From: Peter Kern <peter.kern@tribunemedia.com>
Date:
To:
Subject: Moving Forward

Dear Tribune Team,

Tomorrow we will likely close on our sale to Nexstar. I am truly proud of the work you have done these last couple years and I want to congratulate all of you on delivering a company that is in great shape and which will make Nexstar an even stronger company. You may not realize it, but it is unusual for a company to do such a good job of staying focused and performing day to day while in the midst of being sold. You should all be proud.

Now, as we take this next step, you may all be feeling uncertain about what your future holds. I encourage each of you to look at this transaction not as an end but as the beginning of your next chapter. Whether you will be staying with Nexstar, moving on to TEGNA or Scripps, or moving on to other opportunities like me, we can all take what we learned at Tribune, the skills we honed and the relationships we built here, and carry them forward into the next leg of our journeys. I myself took on this task as a temp - which turned into a two-and-half year gig during which I was fortunate to forge some great relationships with many of you and learn a lot from all of you. I am grateful for that experience and hope that you all move on to your next challenge better off for having spent part of your career with Tribune.

You don't need my advice, your behavior over the last two years demonstrates that you are all pros, but I encourage you to move forward with optimism and renewed energy for new challenges and new cultures. By putting your best self out there with enthusiasm and a positive work ethic you will help make this next chapter what you want and chart your own success. I hope you will bring some of our unique Tribune DNA to the rest of the industry and I equally hope that you are open to learning and absorbing the best of other places. I wish you all much success and happiness in the coming years and will always appreciate the effort you put in for me, the board, the shareholders, and most importantly - for each other.

I bid you all a fond farewell and hope that our paths cross again.

Best regards,
Peter