tronc

Tronc is a French noun meaning the trunk or main stem of a tree, and also the torso or trunk of the human body. In botanical use, tronc refers to the central, vertical axis of a tree or large plant, from which branches arise. In everyday French, it can denote the body’s central mass or be used in expressions such as “tronc d’arbre” (tree trunk). The word derives from Latin truncus.

In a contemporary corporate context, tronc was the name adopted in 2016 by Tribune Publishing Company as its brand for the combined printing and digital news business. The rebranding aimed to emphasize the company’s digital future, with branding that merged several of its newspaper properties under a single corporate identity. The move was widely noted and criticized for its unconventional, opaque name and for creating confusion with readers and advertisers.

In 2018 the company reverted to the Tribune Publishing name, and the use of tronc as a corporate brand largely faded from public discourse. The shift reflected ongoing changes in the U.S. newspaper industry, including financial pressures, layoffs, and strategic pivots toward digital operations. Today, tronc remains primarily of linguistic interest as a French noun and as a historical footnote in the corporate history of Tribune Publishing.