After a brief pause in December, the Chicago Reader is returning to print this week, now as a monthly magazine. The publication, which has faced financial challenges and administrative changes in recent years, spent the past few months under the ownership of Noisy Creek, a Seattle-based media company.
Brady Walkinshaw, founder of Noisy Creek, explained that the new monthly format aligns with the approach used for other alternative newspapers owned by the company. “I’m thrilled for the Reader to be moving to a monthly format,” Walkinshaw said. “I believe audiences appreciate this approach, and it’s a better experience for advertisers” than smaller weeklies.
The Chicago Reader will remain free and distributed at over 600 locations across Chicago, including Reader boxes, storefronts, coffee shops, theaters and more. “We’ll be distributing across over 600 locations across the city with plans to increase this over time, and we’re 100 percent committed to free content with no paywall,” Walkinshaw said.
The February issue marks the first edition under Editor-in-Chief Sarah Conway. Conway joined after eight years at City Bureau as both reporter and editor. Her appointment was announced on December 2; she began her role on January 5.
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Conway said. “It’s been a great experience to be able to build a print monthly magazine with this team.”
Conway aims to guide the publication with what she describes as a “sharp, culture-obsessed [and] opinionated” approach in both print and digital forms. She wants readers to have space for long-form stories, investigations, features and criticism while also honoring the publication’s history.
One new feature is “Reader Radar,” described by Conway as “a curated calendar of citywide events that readers can explore.” She hopes it will encourage people not only to keep the magazine at home but also use it as inspiration to participate in cultural events around Chicago.
Next month’s issue will include work from Jonathan Rosenbaum, a long-time film critic for the Reader who returns with an ongoing column using film analysis to interpret current events. Additionally, there are plans for columns highlighting incarcerated journalists’ work throughout Illinois—a move intended to give voice to underrepresented writers in Chicago.
“Broadly, I want the Reader to be a paper that supports young voices, but also to be an intergenerational space,” Conway said.
Walkinshaw expressed support for these editorial directions: “She dove right in with her first task of working with a terrific editorial team to develop this new print publication format.”
In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Reader has released “Free Chicago: 50 Years of the Reader,” edited by Christopher Haas. The coffee-table book includes stories and images from five decades of coverage and was funded through Kickstarter by more than 1,600 backers.
“It’s like a time machine,” Conway said about the book. “If you love local media and want to peel back the veil [on the Reader], this is very cool for that.”
The February cover symbolizes what staff call their rebirth—an egg about to crack open—designed by Noisy Creek creative director Corianton Hale.
“We’re stepping into a new era for the Reader” as both a monthly magazine and part of independent local media nationwide,” Conway said.
“We’re really excited about the future.”
