Tribune Co. exec in hot water over e-mail

Tribune Co. chief innovation officer Lee Abrams has been placed on indefinite suspension without pay, the Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.

Abrams apologized Tuesday to those offended by the e-mail. The Tribune said the message included a link to a video called "Sluts" that included female nudity. The e-mail drew a number of employee complaints, the newspaper said.

"The video in bad taste was a parody of a cable-type reality show," Abrams wrote in his apology. "It is not something that we would ever air on our TV stations -- in fact quite the opposite. We show this as an example of what NOT to do. But still, I understand that it was very inappropriate to distribute a link to the video to a wider audience."

The link showed a dancing woman who "appeared to pour liquor on her bare breasts," the Tribune said.

The incident occurred a few days after a New York Times article described the executive culture at the Tribune company as a "frat house."

Tribune Co. Chief Executive Randy Michaels said in a memo announcing the suspension, "this is the kind of serious mistake that can't be tolerated; we intend to address it promptly and forcefully."

Michaels said Abrams may still face more disciplinary action.

Chicago-based Tribune Co. owns the Los Angeles Times; KTLA-TV Channel 5, Los Angeles; the Chicago Tribune and other media outlets.

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