RedEye

This article is about the Chicago newspaper. For other uses, see Red eye.

RedEye

The December 6, 2010 front page of RedEye
Type	Daily newspaper
Format	Tabloid
Owner	Tribune Company
Publisher	Kurt Mueller
Editor	Tran Ha
Founded	2002 (2002)
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Circulation	250,000[1][2]
Official 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).^[3]

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.^[3] 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 publisher 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.^[3]

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.^[4]

Content

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 250,000 as of December 2, 2009.^[1][2]

Notes and references

1. ^ ^{a b} Rosenthal, Phil (December 2, 2009). "Chicago Tribune's RedEye to increase distribution". Chicago Tribune. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/towerticker/2009/12/chicago-tribunes-redeye-to-increase-distribution.html. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Kleinberg, Scott (December 2, 2009). "You asked, we deliver -- Coming soon: More RedEye, more places". RedEye. http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/redeye/2009/12/you-asked-we-deliver----coming-soon-more-redeye-more-places.html. Retrieved August 12, 2010. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} Mullman, Jerry (October 4, 2005). "Sun-Times may end Red Streak tabloid". Chicago Business. Crain's. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?id=18000. Retrieved August 11, 2010. 
4. ^ "Tribune Sues Fox News Over 'Red Eye'". The News Tribune. http://www.thenewstribune.com/24hour/business/story/3556973p-12784930c.html. ^{[dead link]}

See also

• Chicago Tribune
• Journalism
• Mass media
• Newspaper
• Tribune Company
• Red Streak

External links

• Official website