Last Sunday I made my way to Logan Square to meet with a former neighbor, eat some tacos (at Taqueria Moran, a weekly staple when I lived down the street), and catch up. Obviously, the only thing on my mind was the Reader.
“I didn’t realize how dire it really was,” my neighbor said.
“Yeah. It’s hard to explain,” I responded.
The past two weeks have been some of the most turbulent days in the Reader’s 53-plus years. That might sound like an exaggeration, but from everything I’ve been able to uncover, this is as close as we’ve ever been to closure.
When speaking to the board, our funders, and our staff, I say, “If we get another day, we’re more likely to get two. If we get a week, we probably have another. And if we are here for another month, we could make the quarter.”
We got through the past two weeks because of you—our readers who have generously donated. Since our January 14 announcement of layoffs and restructuring, we’ve received an outpouring of support from across Chicago and beyond. As of the moment our January 30 print issue went to press, we’ve raised more than $125,000 in one-time donations, which has helped us steady the ship.
But there’s more to do, and we want to be transparent about how that money is used. Every day we’re operating, we incur costs: for payroll, for vendors, and for interest on our debt.
Does that seem like a lot? The majority of our weekly expense is for payroll. Our staff has banded together to take voluntary pay cuts and furloughs, and even deferred compensation, in order to keep the car running.
On January 1, it took roughly $115,000 per week for us to operate. With the cost-saving measures we’ve taken so far, it costs us $88,462 per week. By March 17 (coincidentally, my birthday), we’ll have our weekly number down to $76,462
It costs us only $10,000-$12,000 to print and distribute the newspaper each week (63,000 papers to 1,014 locations). The printed paper is still revenue positive, for now. Maintaining a weekly printing schedule allows us to accept advertising orders and plan for the future.
How You Can Help
*Donate and share our fundraiser chicagoreader.com/donate
*Book an advertising campaign with us chicagoreader.com/advertise
*Become a monthly recurring donor chicagoreader.com/donate
Why does the Reader matter? There are a few different ways to answer that question, but I’ll stick with the facts.
In 2024, we published:
Additionally, in 2024 we:
- Wrote about 206 local small businesses
- Wrote about 108 local nonprofit organizations
- Listed 1,627 music shows in Early Warnings
- Commissioned 1,055 freelance items, from 491 writers and artists
Ultimately, we believe that we, along with all our media colleagues across Chicago, tell you how to live in this city. Reading about your community tells you where to spend your time, what’s worth your money, and how to get things done.
We sometimes are the only review for that new storefront show, or the first ones to tell you about the dish you should try at the taco place down the street.
What we stand to lose is not just a newspaper. It’s the breadth and depth of knowledge from our music department, who cumulatively have over 45 years of Reader experience covering the sounds of Chicago. It’s the talent of our staff writers and culture critics, and our deep, deep bench of freelancers who are hoping we stick around so we can keep publishing their work (and paying them for it).
I wish we could wave a magic wand and “fix” what’s broken. But the more realistic scenario is that we work, day by day, to get a little further ahead.
So what’s next? We’re working with our partners, funders, advertisers, and supporters to find more opportunities for revenue. And, for the first time in recent history, we’ll reveal the Best of Chicago winners early. We posted the results online on Thursday, January 30, and we’re already accepting your advertising orders for the Best of Chicago issue planned for March 6.
Thank you to each donor and for those of you who left us a comment encouraging us to keep going. Thank you to the many, many media organizations in the city (and beyond) who have written about us, offered help, and shown solidarity. Thank you to the advertisers, partners, and funders, who are sticking by us in uncertain times. When we get through this, we’ll be stronger than ever.
Regardless of the sleepless nights and long hours, it’s a privilege to fight to keep the Reader alive.
To donate, visit chicagoreader.com/donate.
For partnership opportunities, email leadership@chicagoreader.com.
To confirm advertising packages, email advertise@chicagoreader.com.
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2025-01-31 17:25:16
