Monday, October 13, 2014

Oh, I Believe in Yesterday

I had wanted to post this front page on September 13, the 40th anniversary of the demise of Chicago Today, but I couldn't remember where I had stored my copy.
So, here, on the 40 Year And One Month anniversary is the front page of the final, "souvenir" edition of the 7-star edition of Chicago Today. The tabloid Chicago Today was created in 1969 as the successor to the Hearst-founded broadsheet Chicago Herald American. At its demise, it was one of two afternoon papers in Chicago -- still boasting that it had the higher circulation of the two -- and was folded into its owner, the Chicago Tribune, bringing all the cartoons, columnists, and other features with it. 

For a time, the Tribune continued publishing a "red streak" edition in the afternoon. Its news was updated from the morning edition, but its features were not. It's hard to imagine why the publishers thought an afternoon paper with identical features to the morning edition would sell better than an afternoon paper with its own features.

You can read a more complete history of the Chicago American and Chicago Today at the Chicagology site here.

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