Gerry Spector, a longtime associate of Sam Zell, has been COO at Tribune since Zell took the company private three years ago. However, the Chicago Tribune reports that Spector will not lead the company in 2011, announcing he's leaving this week. Tribune says "Gerry has been an important part of our success, and he has been a tireless champion of efficiency and innovation across the company." Spector was originally Tribune's EVP and chief administrative officer before taking the COO post, working with CEO Randy Michaels (also now departed). No replacement has been named.