New York Times launches Chicago edition today

Posted by Betsey Reinsborough on November 20, 2009 at 11:40 AM

The New York Times is launching its new Chicago edition today, reports Editor & Publisher. The new edition, which will be included each week in the Friday and Sunday New York Times, will be composed of two additional pages of local news, policy, sports, and culture as well as a regular column by former Chicago Tribune columnist James Warren.

The edition will be produced in conjunction with the Chicago News Cooperative. The non-profit Cooperative was launched in October in part by Jim O'Shea, former editor of the Los Angeles Times, former managing editor of the Chicago Tribune, and now editor of the CNC. The Times is the CNC's first paying customer; it is also sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, public television station WTTW, and public radio station WBEZ.

In a statement released by the Times, executive editor Bill Keller said, "this collaboration with the Chicago News Cooperative will allow us to expand our coverage of Chicago, supplementing our own work with sophisticated reporting by local journalists who have deep roots in the community."

The Times just introduced a new Bay Area edition last month (as did the Wall Street Journal), and says that it has plans to launch more in the future, though prospect sites have not yet been disclosed. According to a statement by the Times' president and GM Scott Heekin-Canedy, "our intent is to roll out these expanded reports in several key markets around the country, working with local journalists and news organization in a collaborative way. This approach is a service to our readers and will strengthen our subscriber retention."

Sources: Editor & Publisher, NYTimes