Howard Reich departs

[Larry Kart]

Probably in light of the looming total takeover of the Chicago Tribune by a hedge fund that typically denudes the papers it controls of much of their staffs, Reich has taken a buyout offer, which almost certainly means that there will be no more jazz coverage, such as it was, in the paper.

The Tribune's Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic Blair Kamin has also taken a buyout offer.

[ejp626]

  On 1/12/2021 at 4:37 PM, Larry Kart said:

Probably in light of the looming total takeover of the Chicago Tribune by a hedge fund that typically denudes the papers it controls of much of their staffs, Reich has taken a buyout offer, which almost certainly means that there will be no more jazz coverage, such as it was, in the paper.

The Tribune's Pulitzer Prize winning architecture critic Blair Kamin has also taken a buyout offer.

Expand  

That is very unfortunate, given that the pressure to cut costs was already pretty evident... 

The Trib went really big into paywalls a few years back and I basically lost touch with what they were publishing.  I thought it was a shame that they couldn't work out a deal that arts reviews were more visible or that arts organizations could quote longer sections in their own publicity.  Is Chris Jones, the theatre critic, staying on?

[Larry Kart]

Don't know about Chris; hope he stays. The area he covers does have more of a reach to it than jazz or architecture. OTOH, why any Trib employee choses to stay or go in this climate probably depends on what buyout offer, if any, has been made to them and what other job prospects they might have.

Reich and Kamin are not spring chickens, have been well compensated over the years, and probably could get by on what they've managed to save and invest. Also , they're both enterprising and may have future projects in mind.

[mjzee]

  On 1/12/2021 at 4:37 PM, Larry Kart said:

Probably in light of the looming total takeover of the Chicago Tribune by a hedge fund that typically denudes the papers it controls of much of their staffs, Reich has taken a buyout offer, which almost certainly means that there will be no more jazz coverage, such as it was, in the paper.

Expand  

Now he has time to join the Organissimo board!

[ejp626]

  On 1/12/2021 at 5:42 PM, Larry Kart said:

Don't know about Chris; hope he stays. The area he covers does have more of a reach to it than jazz or architecture. OTOH, why any Trib employee choses to stay or go in this climate probably depends on what buyout offer, if any, has been made to them and what other job prospects they might have.
 

Expand  

I used to read his columns all the time and his blog or whatever.  I was disappointed when the blog and extracurricular writing moved back under the Trib umbrella and it all went under a paywall.  It wasn't worth subscribing just to read reviews of shows I couldn't see anyway...