RedEye

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RedEye

The July 27, 2005 front page
of RedEye
Type Daily newspaper
Format Tabloid

Owner Tribune Company
Publisher Brad Moore
Editor Jane Hirt
Founded 2002
Price Free
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Website: redeyechicago.com

The RedEye is a daily publication put out by the Chicago Tribune geared toward 18 to 34-year-olds. RedEye (not to be confused with Red Eye, or Red-Eye, or other popular international websites and business sharing the same name) was created due in part to the loss of readership among young people of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers. Tribune Company began publishing the RedEye in an effort to pull readers back into readership and eventually migrate them into the big edition (Tribune).[1]

When RedEye appeared, it was in direct competition with another paper Red Streak, which the Tribune's Chicago competitor the Sun Times began publishing at the same time. Initially, both papers were handed out for free by "hawkers" on street corners, usually with one vendor from each paper directly next to each other.[1] After about 6 months of the free papers, both companies placed vending boxes throughout the city with the papers thereafter costing 25 cents.

At the end of 2005, the Sun Times discontinued Red Streak. According to Sun Times published John Cruickshank, Red Streak was only launched "to stop [the Tribune] from gaining a foothold in the paid tabloid market...". Its only purpose was to undermine RedEye's attempt at drawing commuters, customers which have historically belonged to the Sun Times.[1]

At the beginning of 2006, RedEye became a free paper once again, with vending boxes being unlocked and coin slots covered over.

In February 2007, after NewsCorp launched a late-night talk television program on Fox News entitled Red Eye, the Tribune Company filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit.[2]

Recently, Chicago native and rapper Twista has signed on to do a column for RedEye called "Twista's Turn", where he shares his thoughts and answers readers' questions.[3]

Contents

[edit] Content

a RedEye sailboat on Labor Day 2007 viewed from North Avenue Beach
a RedEye sailboat on Labor Day 2007 viewed from North Avenue Beach

As compared with mainstream newspapers, RedEye strongly emphasizes pop culture and entertainment news; humorous or lighthearted rather than serious columns, and flashy graphics and large pictures. Like the Chicago Sun-Times, RedEye is a tabloid-format newspaper, oriented vertically rather than horizontally and with a front page consisting only of a large picture and a banner headline.

RedEye is published six times a week and has a circulation of 200,000 making it the largest weekday newspaper distribution in the City of Chicago.

[edit] Notes and References

  1. ^ a b c Crain's Chicago Business
  2. ^ Tribune Sues Fox News Over 'Red Eye'
  3. ^ Twista Takes Writing Career To Another Level With The Chicago Tribune and weekly columnist Jason Steele "Boy on Boystown" was voted best local columnist by Chicago area readers.

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[edit] External links