Wednesday Journal Newspapers
TypeWeekly newspapers, community journalism
FormatBroadsheet
Owner(s)Growing Community Media
PublisherDan Haley
Managing editorTerry Dean (Austin Weekly News),
Ben Meyerson (Chicago Journal, Skyline),
Nick Moroni (Forest Park Review)
Bob Uphues (Riverside Brookfield Landmark)
Opinion editorKen Trainor
Sports editorJames Kay
Photo editorDavid Pierini
Staff writersDevin Rose, Anna Lothson (Wednesday Journal)
Headquarters141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302
Circulation9,400 (Skyline)
Websiteoakpark.com

Wednesday Journal, Inc. is a newspaper publisher based in Oak Park, Illinois. It publishes a free weekly community newspaper in Chicago's Austin neighborhood, paid weekly newspapers in the city's western suburbs and parenting magazines in the Chicago metropolitan area.

In 2019, Wednesday Journal became owned by the nonprofit Growing Community Media.[1]

Current publications

Chicago community newspapers

All of Wednesday Journal, Inc.'s Chicago-based community newspapers are published on Wednesdays.

Austin Weekly News

Austin Weekly News was founded 1986 by Liliana Drechney, a former reporter for the now-defunct Leader Papers, Inc. community newspaper chain.[2] For most of its history, the paper served the Austin community area. In 2010, it expanded its circulation to cover North Lawndale and West Garfield Park community areas.[3]

Skyline

Launched by Lerner Newspapers in the 1960s, the Skyline covered the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, the Loop and the Near North Side, with an emphasis on society gossip. The Skyline was the only Lerner paper not to cover school sports. In 2005, Pioneer Press sold the nameplate to the Wednesday Journal. Today, it covers the Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Old Town, former Cabrini-Green and River North. True to its historic emphasis on society gossip, it is the only Wednesday Journal newspaper to retain a gossip column, written by Ann Gerber. Circulation: 9,400

Regular features
  • Heart of the Hood
  • Ann Gerber's Society Column
  • Hot Shots
  • Metropolis

Suburban newspapers

Unlike the city newspapers, suburban newspapers are paid. They can be found in newsboxes throughout their respective coverage areas. They are also available by subscription. Compared to their city-based counterparts, the suburban newspapers are larger and contain more articles per issue.

Forest Park Review

The oldest Wednesday Journal suburban newspaper, it has been published since 1902.

  • Riverside Brookfield Landmark

Wednesday Journal

Founded in 1980, Wednesday Journal is the flagship newspaper of the Wednesday Journal Publications. It serves the cities of Oak Park and River Forest.

Chicago Parent Magazine

Founded in 1984, this free monthly magazine is distributed throughout Chicago and its suburbs.

Former publications

Booster

The Booster is the oldest newspaper to ever be owned by Wednesday Journal. It was originally known as the Lincoln-Belmont Booster. Leo Lerner launched his Lerner Newspapers empire when he acquired it in 1926. In 2000, it, along with the other surviving Lerner newspapers, were sold to Pioneer Press. In 2005, Pioneer Press sold The Booster to the Wednesday Journal.

The Booster covered various North Side neighborhoods, including Avondale, Irving Park, Lake View, Lincoln-Belmont, Lincoln Park, Logan-Armitage, North Center, Roscoe Village and Sheridan Center.[4] The Wednesday Journal-published editions covered Lake View, North Center and Roscoe Village.[5]

In 2008, Wednesday Journal resold the Booster nameplate to Inside Publications. The Inside Publications merged it with its main publication, Inside, to form the Inside-Booster.

Mike Royko had his start at the Lincoln-Belmont Booster.[6]

Chicago Journal

Established in 2000 to cover South Loop, West Loop and Near West Side neighborhoods, it represented Wednesday Journal's first foray into Chicago neighborhood publishing. The Chicago Journal had a distinctive look for a community paper—it was a broadsheet, and printed on peach newsprint.

During its widest circulation period, Chicago Journal covered the South Loop, Printers Row, Motor Row, Chinatown, New East Side, West Loop Gate, West Loop, Near West Side, Greektown, Little Italy, University Village and Pilsen neighborhoods. It was the most widely circulated Wednesday Journal city newspaper with circulation of 13,000.

In December 2012, the Chicago Journal announced in their print editions and website that the newspaper would cease publication that month. The final issue was distributed on December 12, 2012.[7]

News-Star

Beginning as separate News and Star editions, later combined, the News-Star (also called the News and Star Budget[8]) covered the Far North Side. In 2005, Pioneer Press sold the nameplate to the Wednesday Journal, which resold it to Inside Publications in 2008 .

Communities covered by the various versions included Albany Park, Edgewater, Lake View, Lincoln Square, North Park, North Town, Ravenswood, Rogers Park, Sauganash and Uptown.[4] The Wednesday Journal-published editions covered Edgewater, Ravenswood, Rogers Park and Uptown.[5]

Lesley Sussman, now an author and journalist in New York City, was for many years editor of the Uptown and Edgewater News.

Westside Journal

Westside Journal, also known as West Side Chicago Journal, was the edition of Chicago Journal that served Wicker Park, Bucktown, Ukrainian Village, East Village and West Town neighborhoods. It was cancelled in 2008 when the Wednesday Journal management determined that it didn't generate enough ad revenue to justify its existence.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.oakpark.com/2019/09/11/retooling-journals-next-40-years/
  2. ↑ "Fiery Austin Voice Burns Ears and Bridges | The Chicago Reporter". www.chicagoreporter.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-01.
  3. ↑ "Publisher of Austin Weekly News on Expansion Strategy | EPMG :: 866.664.4432". epmg360.com. Archived from the original on 2011-11-06.
  4. 1 2 Internet archive: Chicago Public Library holdings
  5. 1 2 "Chicago Journal keeping 2 weekly newspapers, selling 2, closing 1" Archived 2011-07-08 at the Wayback Machine, Chicago Journal, March 5, 2009
  6. ↑ St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture
  7. ↑ Studenkov, Igor (2012-12-12). "As paper shutters, a look back at the legacy of Chicago Journal". Chicago Journal. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  8. ↑ Illinois Newspaper Project
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