Our revenue plunged 90%

Here’s what happened next. [View this email in your browser]( Readers: Can I take you back to 2020 for a minute? That spring, the Chicago Reader’s advertising revenue plunged 90% as music venues, theaters, and other local businesses closed their doors. The newspaper made the tough decision to cut its publishing frequency in half—after 49 years of weekly publishing. We also made the transition to a nonprofit newsroom, a promising but not-yet-proven strategy for keeping the Reader alive. Now, in the spring of 2024, I’m proud to say what very few media outlets can: The Reader is better off than it was four years ago. I thank our donors for that. Since we turned the Reader into a nonprofit, more than 6,000 Chicagoans have joined as monthly donors, helping us continue producing equitable local journalism and the city’s best arts and culture reporting. [Our paper will always be free – but if you are in a position to support us, I hope you’ll join us as a monthly donor today. Donate $10 a month or more, and we’ll send you our new Reader tee, designed with the Chicago Fashion Coalition and Magnolia Screen Printing.]( [DONATE NOW]( It’s no exaggeration to say the Reader would not be in print today without our donors. These people from every corner of the city ensure the Reader remains a vital and free resource for digital and print news in Chicago. I hope you’ll join us as a monthly donor today. Thanks for being a reader, Solomon Lieberman CEO & Publisher [DONATE NOW]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616