StreetWise is a street magazine sold by people without homes or those at-risk for homelessness in Chicago. Topics covered depend on what is happening in Chicago at the time.
StreetWise contains art, poetry, and articles by vendors; as well as stories of local and national interest, particularly progressive issues.
History
In 1991 a group of Chicago business people joined the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to address the growing problem of street homelessness. In 1992, Judd Lofchie created StreetWise.[3] About 200 vendors sell approximately 20,000 magazines weekly. The vendors buy the magazine for 90 cents each[4] and sell for $2, keeping the profit.[5] In 2003, it had the largest readership of any street publication in the United States of America.[6]
Over time, the magazine has fallen victim to a slow economy.[7] Foundation support had made up nearly half of StreetWise's $500,000 budget but is down 60 percent as of 2012. Ad revenues also are in decline and street sales have dropped 20 percent.[7]
After publishers and board members announced on April 15, 2009, that declining revenues and foundation support might force a closure with 45 days, donations began pouring in. Before the end of the day, an influx of almost $41,000 helped the ailing publication halfway to its goal.[7] Within a week, over $190,000 in donations were made, far exceeding the needed $75,000 to keep afloat.[8]
During a February 2009 meeting, StreetWise's board of directors decided to fire Executive Director Michael Speer and began to discuss potential replacements.[1] Bruce Crane was promoted to turn the company around. Crane reduced operation costs and increased ad sales. The organization went from $200,000 in debt to posting a net income of $1,168 last year under Crane.[9]
Jim LoBianco, the former Commissioner for the Office of Homeless Services in Chicago, succeeded Bruce Crane as the magazine's executive director on January 1, 2011.[1]
In 2008, the format changed from the original tabloid-style newspaper to a magazine publication.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c [1]Archived 2014-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "StreetWise". www.streetwise.org.
- ^ "Who We Are And What We Do". Streetwise.org. Archived from the original on March 29, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "Vendors for StreetWise Not for Profit Organization". Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ Lydersen, Kari. "A Guide to Alternative Media in Chicago". Chicago Media Watch. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2008.
- ^ Harman, Danna (November 17, 2003). "Read all about it: street papers flourish across the US". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 13, 2009. Archived version
- ^ a b c Janega, James (April 16, 2009). "StreetWise halfway to goal". Local News. Chicago, IL: Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "Donors rescue StreetWise". Chicago, IL: ChicagoBreakingNews co-op. BreakingNews.com. April 22, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "The StreetWise Comeback: Chicagoist". chicagoist.com. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Cabrera, Carlos (March 30, 2011). "Chicago homeless magazine wises up". Chicago Journal. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- Green, Norma Fay (1998). "Chicago's StreetWise at the Crossroads: A Case Study of a Newspaper to Empower the Homeless in the 1990s". Print Culture in a Diverse America. eds. James Philip Danky, Wayne A. Wiegand. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 0-252-06699-5.
External links
Media related to StreetWise at Wikimedia Commons
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