Arts & Entertainment
Chicago Reader Marks Print Return With Magazine Format, New Investigations
The Chicago Reader has returned to print after a temporary hiatus that began in December.
The Reader was founded in 1971 by a group of Carleton College students. Its recent history has been marked by financial turmoil, rotating ownership and an “imminent risk of closure.”
In August, the Reader was acquired by Noisy Creek, a startup publishing company based in Washington state focused on acquiring and restoring troubled alternative news sources. The publisher also owns The Seattle Stranger and The Portland Mercury.
The Reader has since transitioned from a weekly newspaper format to a monthly magazine, with Noisy Creek citing a better experience for the publication’s audience and advertisers.
The Reader’s first issue since its hiatus hit newsstands Feb. 4 at more than 600 locations across Chicago. The cover shows a cracking egg with the caption “New Egg, Who Dis?” symbolizing a new era for the publication.
In an editor’s note, new editor-in-chief Sarah Conway wrote that “the Reader is entering its own moment of rebirth.”
Conway started her position Jan. 5, coming over from City Bureau, where she won a Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for her “Missing in Chicago” series.
Conway said the Reader’s new magazine format will lend itself to longer-form stories and larger projects.
“We are now a print monthly newspaper, which means that we are going to be bringing you features, investigations, a culture curated calendar called ‘Reader Radar,’ which is full of events,” Conway said.
Print journalism has seen a decline in recent years as people turn to online news and social media. But the Reader still sees the value in physical media, Conway said.
“Our print monthly is going to be something that we want as an analog paper product that lives in your home,” Conway said. “We want it to be something that readers can really sit with.”
Two stories from the Reader’s recent print issue are emblematic of its new direction, Conway said.
Writer Katie Prout wrote a feature on the interdepartmental approach Chicago has taken toward removing homeless encampments, and writer Grey Lucas is investigating the community impact of the quantum computing facility being constructed in South Shore. Both series will continue in future issues.
As recently as January 2025, the situation at the Reader was dire, with the paper reducing its staff through layoffs and its CEO resigning. But Conway said she’s confident in the publication’s future, much to the credit of Noisy Creek’s mission of revitalizing alternative news.
“It’s been very interesting to be part of a company that’s a national company, but it is really a constellation of alt-newspapers,” Conway said. “The thing I really value about Noisy Creek is that they are invested in keeping the Reader alive.”
New issues of the Chicago Reader are distributed on the first Wednesday of every month. You can learn where to pick up copies here.
