Tribune Content Agency
Tribune Content Agency is a syndication company owned by Tribune Publishing. TCA had previously been known as the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, Tribune Company Syndicate, and Tribune Media Services. TCA is headquartered in Chicago, and had offices in various American cities, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Hong Kong.
History
Chicago Tribune Syndicate (1918–2000)
's early comic strip The Gumps had a key role in the rise of syndication when Robert R. McCormick and Joseph Medill Patterson, who had both been publishing the Chicago Tribune since 1914, planned to launch a tabloid in New York, as comics historian Coulton Waugh explained:Patterson founded the Chicago Tribune Syndicate in 1918, managed by Arthur Crawford.
In 1933, Patterson, launched the Chicago Tribune-Daily News Syndicate, Inc..
An April 1933 article in Fortune described the "Big Four" American syndicates as United Feature Syndicate, King Features Syndicate, the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, and the Bell-McClure Syndicate. Mollie Slott kept the syndicate running in its mid-century glory days.
In 1968, the syndicate offered about 150 features to approximately 1400 client newspapers.
Tribune Media Services (2000–2013)
acquired the Times Mirror Company in 2000, with the Los Angeles Times Syndicate being merged into Tribune Media Services.In 2006 The McClatchy Company inherited a partnership with the Tribune Company, in the news service Knight Ridder-Tribune Information Services, when it acquired Knight Ridder; the new service was called the McClatchy-Tribune News Service. In 2014, Tribune bought out McClatchy's share of the company, taking full ownership of MCT and moving its headquarters to Chicago.
Tribune Content Agency (2013-present)
On June 25, 2013, the newspaper syndication News & Features division of Tribune Media Services became the Tribune Content Agency.On June 12, 2014, Tribune Media Services was merged into Gracenote. After the 2014 split of Tribune Company assets between Tribune Media and Tribune Publishing, Gracenote went to Tribune Media while Tribune Content Agency content remained with Tribune Publishing.
On September 22, 2014, the McClatchy-Tribune News Service was renamed the Tribune News Service.
Products and services
TCA distributes media products, such as news, columns, comic strips, Jumble and crosswords, printed insert books, video, and other information services to publications across the United States, Canada, and other countries in English and Spanish for both print and web syndication.Tribune Premium Content is a subscription service for newspapers and other media channels. The content provided includes comics, puzzles, games, editorial cartoons, as well as feature content packages. Tribune Premium Content also syndicates content from other sources, such as The Atlantic, Rolling Stone, Kiplinger, Harvard Health and Mayo Clinic.
TCA's news service, Tribune News Service, offers breaking news, lifestyle and entertainment stories, sports and business articles, commentary, photos, graphics and illustrations.
Tribune SmartContent is an information service filtered to provide targeted content. Full-text news feeds deliver articles from 600 sources from around the world.
TCA also offered products and services for niche markets via TCA Specialty Products.
TCA has, worldwide, 600-plus contributors and serves more than 1,200 clients, services and resellers.
Management
- Wayne Lown, General Manager
- Rick DeChantal, Sales Director
- Pia Ingberg, Director, European Operations
- Mustafa Sharaan, Director of International Business Development
- Jack Barry, VP/Operations
- Zach Finken, Associate Editor
- Matt Maldre, Marketing Manager
Comic strips
Strips as of 2025
- 9 to 5
- Alvin by Alvin Wellington
- Animal Crackers
- Barney & Clyde
- Bliss by Harry Bliss
- Bottom Liners
- Bound and Gagged
- Brewster Rockit: Space Guy!
- Broom-Hilda
- Dick Tracy
- Gasoline Alley
- Gil Thorp
- Love Is...
- The Middletons
- Reply All
- ''Pluggers''
Discontinued strips
- The Adventures of Smilin' Jack by Zack Mosley
- Aggie Mack / Aggie by Hal Rasmusson and Roy L. Fox
- Beyond Mars by Jack Williamson & Lee Elias
- Bobby Make-Believe by Frank King
- Brenda Starr, Reporter originally by Dale Messick
- Ching Chow originally by Sidney Smith and Stanley Link
- Closer Than We Think by Arthur Radebaugh — Sunday panel
- Compu-toon by Charles Boyce
- Conrad by Bill Schorr
- Deathless Deer by Alicia Patterson and Neysa McMein
- Dondi by Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen
- Friday Foster by Jim Lawrence and later Jorge Longarón
- The Gumps by Sidney Smith
- Harold Teen by Carl Ed
- Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet by Peter Zale
- Housebroken
- In the Bleachers by Steve Moore
- Kennesaw by Reamer Keller
- Li'l Abner by Al Capp — moved over from United Feature Syndicate
- Little Joe originally by Ed Leffingwell
- Little Lulu by Woody Kimbrell, Roger Armstrong, and Ed Nofziger
- Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray and others
- Lola by Todd Clark
- Lolly by Pete Hansen
- Loose Parts, originally by Dave Blazek and John Gilpin — acquired from the Los Angeles Times Syndicate
- Louie by Harry Hanan
- Mary Perkins, On Stage by Leonard Starr
- Moon Mullins by Frank Willard & Ferd Johnson
- Mother Goose and Grimm by Mike Peters
- Motley's Crew by Ben Templeton and Tom Forman
- Mount Pleasant by Rick McKee and Kent Sligh
- My Son John by Bill Hoest
- The Neighbors by George Clark
- Old Doc Yak by Sidney Smith — second iteration as a weekly topper strip for The Gumps
- The Pink Panther by Eric and Bill Teitelbaum
- Raising Hector by Peter Ramirez
- Rick O'Shay by Stan Lynde
- Shoe by Jeff MacNelly and then others
- Smitty by Walter Berndt
- Smokey Stover by Bill Holman
- Spy vs. Spy by Duck Edwing and Dave Manak
- Sylvia
- Tales of the Green Beret by Robin Moore & Joe Kubert
- The Teenie Weenies by William Donahey
- Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff and George Wunder
- Texas Slim by Ferd Johnson
- Tiny Tim by Stanley Link
- Whiteboy by Garrett Price
- Winnie Winkle by Martin Branner, Max Van Bibber, and Frank Bolle
- The World's Greatest Superheroes by numerous creators
Editorial cartoons
- Nick Anderson
- Eric Allie
- Mike Beckom
- Clay Bennett
- Lisa Benson
- Bill Bramhall
- Tim Campbell
- Jeff Danziger
- Phil Hands
- David Horsey
- Pedro Molina
- Jack Ohman
- Joel Pett
- Drew Sheneman
- Scott Stantis
- Dana Summers
- Joey Weatherford
Columns and articles
Advice
- God Squad, The by Marc Gellman
- Harvard Health Letters
- Interpersonal Edge by Daneen Skube
- Mayo Clinic Q & A
- Medicine Cabinet, The: Ask the Harvard Experts
- My Answer from the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
- My Pet World by Cathy M. Rosenthal
- Real Estate Matters by Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Business & Personal Finance
- Careers Now by Vicki Salemi
- Interpersonal Edge by Daneen Skube
- Jill on Money by Jill Schlesinger
- Kids & Money by Steve Rosen
- Kiplinger Consumer News Service
- Kiplinger's Money Power
- Markets & Mutual Funds
- Money Market Package
- Savings Game, The by Elliot Raphaelson
- Success featuring Kiplinger, Inc. Magazine and Fast Company
- Terry Savage
Entertainment
Card games
- Daily Bridge Club by Frank Stewart
- Goren Bridge by Bob Jones
- Poker by Tony Dunst and Bryan Devonshire
Humor
- Dave Barry Year in Review by Dave Barry
- Humor Hotel by Greg Schwem
- Today’s Chuckle by Harlan Collins
Pop culture
- Bang Showbiz
- Cover Media
- Film Clips by The Chicago Tribune
- Rolling Stone
- Nielsen SoundScan
- Variety Entertainment News Service
- Video Games by GamerHub.TV
Sports
- Latest Line by J. McCarthy
Food
- Entrée Feature Package featuring Environmental Nutrition, Eating Well, The Kitchn and Seriously Simple
Health
- Environmental Nutrition
- Harvard Health Letters
- How to Keep Well by Irving S. Cutter
- Mayo Clinic Q & A
- Medicine Cabinet, The: Ask the Harvard Experts
- Premium Health News Service by Various Contributors
Home
- Ask the Builder by Tim Carter
- Do It Yourself…Or Not? by Gene and Katie Hamilton
- Living Space by Better Homes & Gardens, Real Simple, Parents magazine, Midwest Living, and Southern Living
- Real Estate Matters by Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin
Lifestyle
- Drive, The
- Fresh Toast, The
- My Pet World by Cathy M. Rosenthal
- Tuesdays with Mitch by Mitch Albom
- Your Daily Astrology by Magi Helena