{"id":9674,"date":"2015-12-10T17:00:59","date_gmt":"2015-12-10T23:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.robertfeder.com\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2015-12-12T09:36:28","modified_gmt":"2015-12-12T15:36:28","slug":"tribune-drops-printers-row-journal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/robertfeder.dailyherald.com\/2015\/12\/10\/tribune-drops-printers-row-journal\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribune drops Printers Row Journal print edition"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Chicago<\/a>

<\/a> Chicago Tribune<\/p><\/div>\n

Say goodbye to Printers Row Journal. <\/a>The premium weekly book section produced by the Chicago Tribune<\/a> will cease publication at the end of the year.<\/p>\n

December 27 will mark the final appearance of the print section, which was launched with great fanfare<\/a> as a 24-page weekly supplement in 2012. In addition to books reviews, it featured author interviews, essays, literary news and a weekly work of short fiction.<\/p>\n

\"Printers<\/a>

Printers Row Journal<\/p><\/div>\n

Printers Row Journal will continue as a digital-only product, according to a Tribune spokeswoman, who said the company is developing a new app that will \u201coffer extended book coverage to keep loyal book lovers throughout Chicago engaged.\u201d The app will allow users to buy and download e-books.<\/p>\n

The spokeswoman declined to provide circulation figures, but sources said fewer than 4,000 subscribers paid $99 a year to receive the weekly print edition.<\/p>\n

Chicago Tribune publisher Tony Hunter declared the effort \u201ca successful experiment\u201d despite the numbers.<\/p>\n

\"We launched the printed edition of Printers Row Journal\u00a0almost four\u00a0years ago to target book lovers across Chicagoland,\u201d Hunter said in a statement Thursday. \u201cIt has been a successful experiment, and we look forward to continuing to engage with this niche audience through\u00a0an\u00a0enhanced\u00a0digital product.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new digital-only edition will cost $29 a year for new subscribers.<\/p>\n

Readers will be notified of the change in a letter to be published in Sunday\u2019s edition of the Tribune from Jennifer Day, editor of Printers Row Journal.<\/p>\n

The latest cutback comes weeks after Tribune Publishing approved buyouts <\/a>for hundreds of employees companywide under a voluntary separation program, including more than 40 editorial staffers at the Chicago Tribune.<\/p>\n

Here is the text of Day's letter to readers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A new year, a new Printers Row<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear readers,<\/em><\/p>\n

Big changes are coming to Printers Row in the new year, and I wanted you to be the first to know. The Dec. 27 issue of Printers Row Journal will be the last print edition; starting Jan. 3, Printers Row will move online to become an innovative, new digital publication.<\/em><\/p>\n

All of your favorite features \u2014 book reviews, author interviews and the weekly short fiction supplement \u2014 will be available in a new reader-friendly app designed specifically for book lovers like you. Inside the Printers Row app, you'll be able to:<\/em><\/p>\n