Chicago Sun-Times

Congratulations to longtime Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell!

Congratulations to our colleagues at WBEZ Chicago 91.5 FM for launching a new morning lineup this morning! ☀️

We’re excited to share that Chicago Public Media has been awarded a grant through Press Forward Chicago! The fund is distributing more than $1.5 million to 26 local outlets — and part of that investment will launch a first-of-its-kind immigration reporting hub at CPM. This new initiative will allow us to expand original stories about immigrant communities in Chicago and elevate related reporting from other local newsrooms. It's a unique opportunity for us to deepen coverage of communities that are essential to our city’s story and strengthen how local media reflects Chicago’s diversity. https://lnkd.in/e29rTV9E

A huge shout out to our architecture critic Lee Bey and columnist Neil Steinberg for leading not one but TWO successful boat tours/ “roasts” of the Chicago skyline this summer, with the final event wrapping up last night. Over 300 of our awesome supporters and readers got to hear from these two beloved journalists while reveling in the beauty of our city. Thank you to everyone who attended — and to our amazing membership team for your creativity and dedication to our Chicago Public Media community. Photo credit:  Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times 

We’re pleased to announce Kimbriell Kelly as our new Editor-in-Chief. Kimbriell is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with deep Chicago roots and a distinguished career spanning the Daily Herald, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and teaching at Howard and Princeton Universities. She will lead our unified Sun-Times, Vocalo and WBEZ editorial team into its next chapter, strengthening one of the largest local news operations in the country. We also want to recognize Jennifer Kho, who has served as Interim Editor-in-Chief during this complex integration. Her compassionate, steady leadership and commitment to our mission over the past six months have been invaluable. We’re grateful she will continue to partner with Chicago Public Media on a future public media project after she begins her fellowship in the new year. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gwYiwjzd

Well deserved! 👏

We’re excited to announce a new Sun-Times feature: Chicago-style crosswords! We’ve been collaborating with a crossword writer at the Atlantic to launch weekly full-length crossword puzzles with Chicago-centric clues sprinkled in. Each puzzle will have a different Chicago theme, like summer festivals, the Bears, museums, restaurants and more. The first one was published today with clues about Lollapalooza. Try it out and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/ew3S9rwY

On July 17, Congress voted to claw back $1.1 billion in already-approved federal funding for public media. For Chicago Public Media, that means a $3 million gap in funding—critical support for WBEZ, the Chicago Sun-Times, and more than 1,500 public media organizations nationwide. This federal funding was crucial in sustaining the journalism that keeps Chicago informed and connected. Without them, public media’s role as an independent, paywall-free source of truth is under threat. The federal support disappears on October 1. And while we can’t bring it back, we can step up together to keep public media strong in Chicago. Here’s what you can do today: 1. Become a monthly member of WBEZ and/or the Chicago Sun-Times to help fill the gap. 2. Tell your friends and networks to do the same by sharing this message. 3. Advocate with your representatives to restore this essential funding for public media. Join us in building a future where journalism serves people—not profits. Donate: https://lnkd.in/gS9b9GNb

🏆 Our own Neil Steinberg was honored in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists (NSNC) yearly column contest last week, taking first place for General Interest Print Columns for: “The first Ford Mustang in America and the suburban woman who owned it” and “No matter how my father fades, he’s still my dad. And Joe Biden is not a man but an idea”. Neil also got second place in the contest's Lifestyles columns category. And, our former sports columnists Rick Telander and Rick Morrissey were recognized for columns published last year. Telander got second place for Sports Columns and third place for General Interest Print Columns and Morrissey got third place for Sports Columns. Congrats to all!

Last night, Congress voted to claw back all federal funding for public media. To fully replace the lost funding and protect the future of public media in Chicago, it’s going to take Sun-Times readers and public media believers to meet this moment together.