Chicago Reader

Published since 1971, the Chicago Reader is widely recognized as one of the leading alternative weeklies in the U.S. It specializes in features rather than news, with emphasis on urban issues and politics, arts and culture, and literary journalism that seeks to capture the spirit of contemporary city life. The paper has won numerous journalistic awards and honors, both local and national, and is well-known as a showcase for Chicago’s most talented writers, critics, photographers, and illustrators.

The Reader is also well-known for its indispensable guides to Chicago theater, film, arts, and music, and for an extensive classified advertising section that focuses on the needs of young urban adults. It is a controlled-circulation newspaper distributed primarily in city neighborhoods where young people live in high concentrations.

Where can you find the Reader?

The Reader is distributed at more than 1,400 locations; distribution begins on Thursday and is completed by Friday at 2 PM. The average circulation of the Reader for the six months ending June 30, 2004 was 119,606. Circulation figures are audited by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC). 

The Reader is distributed in Evanston, Rogers Park, Edgewater, Albany Park, Jefferson Park, Uptown, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Old Town, Logan Square, Bucktown, Wicker Park, Near North, Loop, Printers Row/Near South, Near West Side, Pilsen, Hyde Park, and Beverly.

Chicago Reader Online - www.chicagoReader.com

The Reader’s Web sites are designed to emphasize function, speed, and ease of use. They offer a variety of features and services including Spacefinder, a sophisticated and very popular apartment-searcher; Chicago Reader On Film, which includes weekly movie Showtimes and an archive of more than 10,000 reviews; the Reader Restaurant Finder, featuring ratings and comments from more than 2,000 Reader Restaurant Raters; and The Straight Dope, the on-line home of Cecil Adams, the man who knows everything. Also available are Reader Classifieds, Matches personal ads, entertainment listings, and more.

Publication Dates

The Reader is published every Friday.

• By mail or in person:
  Chicago Reader
  11 East Illinois Street
  Chicago, IL 60611
• Phone (all departments):
  312-828-0350
• Recorded Classified Ad Placement Information:
  312-828-1140
• Classified Department Fax:
  312-828-0682
• Editorial Department Fax (including letters to the editor):
  312-828-9926
• Local Display Department Fax:
  312-828-0305
• National Advertising: The Ruxton Group
  Phone 602-238-4800 | Fax 602-238-4805
• Email (general):
  mail@chicagoreader.com
• Email letters to the editor:
  letters@chicagoreader.com