• by Sara Guaglione , January 7, 2016

Tribune Publishing is shuffling its teams at two brands. The company has named Rick Daniels publisher and CEO at The Baltimore Sun. Tom Wiley will replace Daniels as publisher at Hartford Courant.

Rick Daniels has been interim publisher at The Baltimore Sun since September, when he filled in for Tim Ryan after he was moved to Los Angeles to take over that role at the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The previous LA Times publisher, Austin Beutner, was forced out as the company tried to stabilize newspapers spun off from Tribune Media's broadcasting division in 2014.

In his new position, Daniels oversees media groups anchored by The Baltimomre Sun and The Morning Call, based in Allentown, Pa.

According to the Sun, Daniels said he wants to focus reporting on the region's economic disparities, as well as evolve in the digital industry.

"The challenge for all publishing companies, for all properties, is to adapt to an ever-changing business model and to devise one that works and still keeps the high level of local relevance that we have and that we've built," Daniels told the Sun.

Staff at The Baltimore Sun and The Morning Call haveseen steadily shrinking numbers. The Morning Call used to have more than 1,000 employees a decade ago and now has less than 400. The Sun employs about 720 people.

However, Daniels stated that there are no further cuts planned at either publication, but that he is “planning on a certain level of revenues, and we have to make sure we can attain those," at the Sun.

In past meetings with staff, Daniels said it is his task to expand The Morning Call's online reach, according to the publication.

Daniels has been publisher and CEO of the Hartford Courant Media Group, a subsidiary of Tribune Publishing, for about a year and a half. He was previously president of GateHouse Media New England from 2007 to 2012.

Daniels was president and general manager of The Boston Globe from 2001 to 2005.

Wiley, who will replace Daniels at Hartford Courant, joins Tribune Publishing after having been executive vice president sales at Digital First Media. Wiley was previously VP sales for Lee Enterprises at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

According to the Courant, Wiley said his mission will be to drive financial and audience growth and expand in the changing digital environment. "As new technology emerges, you have to stay ahead of that," he told the newspaper.

Both men will report to Denise Warren, president of digital and CEO of East Coast Publishing at Tribune.

The appointments of Wiley and Daniels took effect Tuesday. In her email announcement, Warren praised Daniels with helping to "significantly expand" the portfolio of print and digital properties at the Hartford Courant Media Group.