Re: Trib agrees to vacate printing plant

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:

In the continuing humilitation of a once fine but now decrepit
newspaper, Trib has agreed to vacate Freedom Center on the near
northwest side of the city by a year from July. The modern printing
plant was built in 1981, moving all production out of Tribune Tower.
This allowed them to build studios for WGN radio and a tv studio that
was used for a short while.

Tribune Tower is irrelevant to the newspaper; it's being turned into
housing.

I don't see how that's enough time to site and build a new plant, so my
guess is they're going to the vacant printing plant in Milwaukee which
Alden Capital already owns.

Bally's was supposed to build and equip a replacement printing plant but
they made a cash settlement instead.

The newspaper was stripped of all its land and other assets years ago.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-tribune-ballys-freedom-center-move-20230505-nf4sbgbsi5d3jccewdnx4wc4sa-story.html

The final editions have been printed at Freedom Center as of Sunday, May
19, 2024. These were Sunday editions of Trib itself, Chicago Sun-Times,
and the midwest edition of the New York Times.

The papers printed today Monday May 20, 2024, were printed at the former
plant of the Daily Herald in Arlington Heights. The plant was massive
overkill for the Daily Herald and the debt put them into bankruptcy (the
are now a nonprofit) but it's a small fraction of the size of Freedom
Center. But that's all the capacity anybody needs.

Trib's editorial offices, to the extent that anyone must come to the
office rather than working from home, have been at Freedom Center. They
cannot stay as the entire building will be demolished as soon as the
printing presses are disassembled and removed.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2024/05/19/chicago-tribune-freedom-center-final-run/