The Pulse of Chicago

There is a pulse that drives this city. It is manifested in the people and places that call Chicago home. From the runners and bikers along the shores of Lake Michigan, to the tallest skyscrapers that paint one of the world’s most iconic skylines—the pulse is real. An orchestra feels the pulse of the music they perform as they work in one harmonious effort to make the notes come to life, forming an intricate masterpiece of art. But in order to keep the tempo—the pulse— the musicians look for a voice to guide them, and that is found in the direction of the conductor. A good conductor knows each line of music for each instrument within the orchestra. They listen to, and bring to life, those individual parts, forming the overarching theme and direction.

For the past 169 years, the Chicago Tribune has been the conductor in this great city! Printing a paper every single day, except for two days following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Tribune has sought to piece together the various parts of the city which contribute to the overall pulse. Just as a conductor must listen to and adjust to different dynamics within the music, so too, the Chicago Tribune has had to listen to, and then respond to, the changing times of the industry they are so competitively competing in. There is little room for error: too much is on the line when you’re the conductor of such a grand masterpiece.

Last fall, I was granted unique access to the production of the Chicago Tribune, which is among several other papers that it prints on site at their massive presses in downtown Chicago. Following September 11, 2001, tours were restricted for several years, and just recently allowed only on a very limited basis for special journalism groups. This post will explore some of the great history of the Tribune and the basics of what it takes to put together a daily newspaper in a huge metropolitan city where people still long for a great conductor who can guide and direct the pulse within.

Let’s begin with a big number: 50,000 copies an hour! That alone demonstrates the pulse within the walls of the Tribune. Located along the banks of the Chicago River, the current building was built in 1982, and is known as the Freedom Center. This massive 940,000 square foot building brings life to the city it rests in. The passer-by may not suspect there was any reasoning in the current location of the building, but in actuality, it was planned rather strategically. The plan was for barges to arrive from Lake Michigan via the Chicago River and deliver the huge roles of paper for daily printing. A crane would then lift the roles from the barge. However, upon the first arrival, the barge got stuck in the rather shallow waters of the Chicago River and it was determined that to dredge the river would not be cost productive in the long run. Since that time, the Freedom Center has received all of its paper by rail or by truck, 80% and 20% respectively.

I arrived on a crisp September afternoon to the Freedom Center and was warmly greeted by Roy Carlson, the Preprint Logistics Manager at the Tribune. His enthusiasm for his work was not unmatched: with each employee I met or observed at the Tribune, I felt a sense of their dedication and diligence for their role as “conductor” for the orchestra they were helping to lead. Nonetheless, they realize the work they do is hard and sometimes unpredictable. Perhaps that’s why they’ve named their three daily management meetings “The Daily Miracle,” as they understand that putting together a paper which is ever changing based on the news that is being made can sometimes feel indeed like a miracle!

Within the extensive building are 10 presses which produce the Tribune and a number of other papers for the Midwestern region. The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, as well as the Chicago Sun Times are also printed in the same building and distributed throughout the Midwest. So if you’re reading a New York Times in South Bend, Indiana, it was most likely printed in Chicago at the Tribune! In addition, a number of other smaller Midwestern papers are printed on site. With the production of the Tribune as well as these other contracts, there are actually more papers printed at the Freedom Center than when the building opened in 1982. It is a win-win scenario for all those involved.

One of the first rooms I entered on my tour was a huge warehouse-like storage space with massive one-ton roles of paper stacked several high. Overhead were two cranes, which I learned are some of the last in the country used in newspaper production. Today, many places have gotten rid of their cranes for forklifts, although that limits the height to which they can stack their paper; but not at the Tribune! The huge cranes operate with suction, moving eight discs over eight roles of paper, attaching to it by suction, and then moving them to any other area within the large warehouse.

As I continued on the tour, I felt as though I were taking a tour of “Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.” One large room opening up to another dream- like room left me in awe of what goes on inside the walls of the Freedom Center. The second room I entered was where the presses were located. On the ground floor, trolley like carts moved paper from on part of the floor to the other, forming long lines of cars lined up like a train. Each role of paper was guided by the computer network to the appropriate press. The room was noisy, even though not all of the presses were running at the time. There was a constant hum in the air, so much so I was required to wear earplugs.

Standing there in that room reminded me of the great history that passes over each and every one of those presses. Those were the presses which printed papers about wars and invasions, corruption and peace. Those were the presses that printed news of elections, weather and the obituaries of countless individuals, both famous and not so famous. Those presses help keep the pulse that this city feels, which it depends on to keep it moving forward.

Throughout its history, the Tribune has always been a voice which people have looked to. During the Civil War, the Tribune had anti-slavery views. In the mid 1800’s Joseph Medill purchased the ailing paper and moved it towards the cause of the Republican Party, giving the paper a strong political voice. The Tribune became financially stable under Medill. The Tribune also supported a new political figure at the time, Abraham Lincoln.

In the 1800’s many people read newspapers to keep up with national and world events, which were written in great detail, almost as if it was a drama playing out day-by-day. News of Western expansion, and civil wars in Europe led people not to miss a single issue of the paper. But the Tribune always prided itself on its quality and consistency. In fact, their old saying printed on each paper was, “Better than any, and only a penny.” Today the paper uses a slogan that dates back as late as 1884, “World’s Greatest Newspaper,” and which many Chicagoans will recognize from the initials, “WGN,” originally a radio station in 1924, and now the T.V. station owned by the Tribune.

The voice of the Tribune has been defined by the people and events of the time. Lincoln’s soar to popularity and eventual rise to President gave the Tribune a national voice among other major U.S. newspapers.

Despite there being references to the production of the paper being a “miracle,” it does in fact involve the dedicated work and sacrifice of its editors and reporters, both in the field and behind the desk. Over the years, the Tribune has had many great journalists leading the pulse through their extraordinary reporting. For example, during WWII, Sigrid Shultz was a war correspondent who reported on the Axis Powers. John Thompson was the first news correspondent to parachute into a combat zone to report for a story. The paper held very strong anti-communist views during the Cold War years. Reporters Casey Bukro and Bill Jones did investigative work on pollution in Lake Michigan which resulted in more investigative pieces and Bukro being named the first environmental specialist at any major newspaper. When President Nixon released printed transcripts of the Watergate tapes, the Tribune was the first on the street with the complete text, which was a major scoop for the paper. The Tribune would later call for Nixon to resign.
Back on my tour, I began to realize how technology had changed the face of this industry.

Previously, the paper was printed on 55 pound letterpresses for each page, but on the tour I was able to see the CTP, or “Computer to Plate” technology that exists where a laser burns an image on an aluminum plate. There are two press plates for every page, allowing for two impressions for each spin of the press! Technology has also moved to online media. The Tribune tries to publish the latest breaking news in the paper each day, but also realizes that the paper is one of record for any particular day. In other words, the breaking news is always updated online at the Tribune’s website, where the presses may have to run a story that is yet to have a conclusion. This gives more freedom to the reader, who has both the physical copy in hand, while also the option to go online 24 hours a day.

This is not an easy operation. Organizational skills abound for all those who work at the Tribune! Sunday papers which are thick with special reports and inserts on fashion and food are often printed Friday, allowing Saturday to be used for breaking news. Conference calls and editorial meetings require concise and accurate information, but often in changing conditions based on news cycles. One leaves the entire operation wondering how a paper was printed every day but two for the past 169 years!

There is certainly not enough space in this blog to list all the accomplishments and history surrounding the Chicago Tribune. However, I hope that this has brought some sense of understanding for what is involved in the daily production of a major U.S. paper.

Chicago’s pulse is alive and well; each generation passes it along. But for the Tribune, it has been the objective to lead that pulse through its reporting. The Tribune has found a voice in this city and in this nation for the past several decades, and it will continue to lead as the conductor, helping keep the pulse alive for a beautiful masterpiece. So if you’re a resident, or perhaps a visitor, I invite you to pick up a Chicago Tribune. Become a part of the orchestra and listen closely to the pulse of our city!

Editor’s Note: Many thanks to Mr. Roy Carlson of the Tribune and all those who were so accommodating during my tour at Freedom Center!