With the help of a number of our readers, we were able to publish the November issue of Gazette Chicago and we hope to publish our popular December holiday issue as well. Thank you!
Last month, we let you know that due to the current precarious financial state of newspapers in the United States and the economic strains on our advertisers and suppliers wrought by the COVID pandemic of the last few years, it is a struggle to generate enough revenue to be able to publish a print edition of Gazette Chicago. Financial conditions forced us to skip publishing our September issue this year.
For the past few years, advertising revenues have not kept up with our monthly expenses. The pandemic resulted in a 60% drop in advertising revenue and a 50% increase in paper costs, which our printer has passed down to us.
For October and November, our advertisers and more than 25 generous donors came through and we could provide readers living within the ten diverse communities that we cover, and others across the Chicago area, with articles that make an impact in your lives and that of your neighbors—and to which you have grown accustomed over the past four decades.
We continue to be successful in providing you with quality journalism. We were proud to learn recently that Feedspot.com has selected Gazette Chicago as one of the top publications in Chicago. That brings the total of journalism and public service awards won by Gazette Chicago to 77.
But we are by no means out of the woods financially. Please, make a donation in support of Gazette Chicago TODAY. We cannot stress the importance or your doing so at this time.
Your support will help pay down the debt to our printer, get our heads back above water, and if the campaign continues to be successful, provide cash reserves to help with future issues.
The CivicLab, based in Chicago, serves as our fiscal agent, since Gazette Chicago does not have non-profit status. All donations to The CivicLab that are directed to Gazette Chicago, are tax deductible as allowed by law and will be forwarded to us.
Donations can be sent to The CivicLab, 1643 N. Larrabee St., Suite i, Chicago, IL 60614. Donors should write “Gazette Chicago” in the memo section of their check. Or, make a credit card payment using Action Network by clicking on www.tinyurl.com/Support-Gazette-Chicago. Where it says, “Is this donation for a specific project or organization? If so, which?” type in “Gazette Chicago.” Where it asks what ward you live in, if you do not know, type in “N/A” or “don’t know.”
If you are a business owner, organization leader, or government official and wish to advertise, please contact our advertising manager, Julie Becker, at [email protected]. To contact Editor and Publisher Mark J. Valentino, reach out at [email protected].
For those who contributed to making this issue possible through donations or advertising, thank you! With your continued support, we look forward to serving you in December with coverage of news and events found nowhere else but in Gazette Chicago—your community newspaper for over 40 years!