Par Ridder joins Clear Channel

Trials and Stribulations

Par Ridder moves on.

Clear Channel Outdoor has announced that the disgraced former Star Tribune publisher, Pioneer Press traitor and "proven manager and strategic thinker" has joined the company's Chicago office as a branch president.

You have to wonder what the non-compete clause looks like on his contract.

Here's a snippet from the Clear Channel PR office:

Ridder comes from the newspaper business where he has served as Publisher of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, St Paul Pioneer Press and San Luis Obispo (CA) Tribune. Ridder has a track record of growing revenue by helping customers grow theirs through effective advertising programs.

Here's what the flakkage left out, from 2007:

But the real bombshell came in April, when MediaNews, parent company of the Pioneer Press, sued Ridder and the Star Tribune in Ramsey County District Court. In unseemly detail, the civil complaint laid out accusations that Ridder stole a laptop computer, sensitive financial data, and top employees when he jumped ship to the Strib.

The subsequent court battle and settlement cost the Strib millions of dollars and ended with a Ramsey County judge removing Ridd4er from his position. Ridder finally resigned in September that year.

Read the whole sordid court battle from City Pages here.