Tronc Makes Name Change To Tribune Publishing Official

CHICAGO — Tronc, we barely knew you. The parent company of the Chicago Tribune announced Thursday that it was officially changing its name back to Tribune Publishing Company.

Reports about the name change began circulating over the summer. In June, Chicago media writer Robert Feder reported that tronc's board had voted for the name change in May, but it wasn't known when the switch would happen.

That's not the case anymore. The name change will take effect 3:15 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, according to a company release Thursday. So set your alarms, if you want to say goodbye to the Chicago-based company's much-ridiculed name.

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Tronc, which also owns The Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, Orlando Sentinel and other newspapers, dropped the Tribune Publishing name June 20, 2016. It was part of the company's effort to position itself as a "content curation and monetization company focused on creating and distributing premium, verified content across all channels." The tronc name stood for TRibune ONline Content.

“It’s a nod to our roots, and a reinforcement of the journalistic foundation on which all of our news brands stand," tronc spokeswoman Marisa Kollias told the Chicago Tribune regarding the Tribune name.

Now tronc will go the way of Archibald Leach, Stefani Germanotta and Shawn Carter, names discarded to the footnotes of history.

RELATED: A Ri-tronc-ulous Name Change For Tribune Publishing

Besides eliminating the constant mocking, the name change could be part of an effort to groom the company for a possible sale, according to the Tribune. California-based newspaper chain McClatchy and New York-based investment firm The Donerail Group have both shown interest in the media company.

Image via tronc Tribune Publishing Company tronc. Until 4:15 p.m. Oct. 9, 2018.