Today's Chicago Woman magazine shuts down
The news broke on December 23, but, for some reason, I managed to miss it until now.
The January 2015 issue of Today's Chicago Woman, which came out a day after Christmas, turned out to be its last. Founder and owner Sherren Leigh decided to shut down the magazine.
And honestly - I'm more than a little sad.
Today's Chicago Woman was founded in 1982. It offered something no other publication did - a resource for female professionals. It had networking tips, news about goings-on in Chicago's corporate world, articles on issues facing women in the workplace, profiles of businesswomen, female politicians and activists, articles on women-run businesses and organizations... The magazine had an annual issue dealing with ways to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace. It had an annual issue dedicated to philanthropy. And, every once in a while, it did feature stories on things like backlog in rape kits and domestic violence.
That is not to say Today's Chicago Woman was all business. It had articles on childcare, reviews of restaurants, spas and galleries, travel pieces, heath tips and fashion photo spreads. it had a social section, with photos from parties and events. Every February, it put out what I've jokingly nicknamed "the gold-digger issue" - an issue with a feature piece spotlighting Chicago singles of money and/or prominence. And it did pieces on weddings years and years before Sun-Times Media's Splash err...borrowed the idea.
I started reading Today's Chicago Woman in 2006 out of sheer curiosity (and because I thought it would make a good research material). Since then, I've been grabbing an issue every month (except for the times when I didn't live in Chicago) and saving quite a few of them. While not everything in it interested me, I was always impressed with the caliber of writing and photography on its pages - and I usually learned something that was new or interesting. Every once in a while, the magazine disappointing me - like that time they recommended a book that wound up being quite terrible. But things like this were aberrations, which were as bad as they were precisely because TCW was usually better than this, dang it.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, Leigh didn't shut down the magazine for financial reasons or anything like that - she just wanted to retire from publishing, basically
"Yesterday was my birthday and I made a decision to close TCW effective with the January issue, which comes out this Friday. After publishing the magazine for 32 years, I want to work less, enjoy life more and embrace new activities while I'm in excellent health. It'll be a new chapter in my life I'm looking forward to. I have enjoyed our working relationship over the years and wish you the very best in the future.”
It's the kind of thing that happened before. But after the demise of so many Chicago newspapers and magazines since 2006, it feels like an even deeper loss than it would otherwise be. Especially after this year wasn't too bad for magazines, all things considered.
The last published issue was the "List Issue," with the issue's theme displayed on the cover, right about the title. It wasn't until I was writing this post that I realized that it was one letter away from "Last Issue." Knowing Leigh's at times peculiar sense of humor (this is the publisher that one did Today's Chicago Womanizer joke issue about two decades ago), I wouldn't be surprised if that was deliberate.
Now that Today's Chicago Women is gone... Crain's and Chicago magazine would still do business stories. Chicago Social, Chicago and Michigan Avenue would still publish profiles, and business and restaurant reviews. Chicago Social, Splash and Michigan Avenue would still cover Windy City's social scene. Chicago Social will still publish travel pieces and some great photography.
But there's nothing that will cater to female professionals the way TCW did. There's no magazine that's going to have its editorial voice, its combination of business, diversions and occasional politics. Its unique editorial voice with vanish from Chicago media landscape.
And there's nothing that's going to fill the gap it left behind.
---
The January 2015 issue of Today's Chicago Woman, which came out a day after Christmas, turned out to be its last. Founder and owner Sherren Leigh decided to shut down the magazine.
And honestly - I'm more than a little sad.
Today's Chicago Woman was founded in 1982. It offered something no other publication did - a resource for female professionals. It had networking tips, news about goings-on in Chicago's corporate world, articles on issues facing women in the workplace, profiles of businesswomen, female politicians and activists, articles on women-run businesses and organizations... The magazine had an annual issue dealing with ways to increase racial and ethnic diversity in the workplace. It had an annual issue dedicated to philanthropy. And, every once in a while, it did feature stories on things like backlog in rape kits and domestic violence.
That is not to say Today's Chicago Woman was all business. It had articles on childcare, reviews of restaurants, spas and galleries, travel pieces, heath tips and fashion photo spreads. it had a social section, with photos from parties and events. Every February, it put out what I've jokingly nicknamed "the gold-digger issue" - an issue with a feature piece spotlighting Chicago singles of money and/or prominence. And it did pieces on weddings years and years before Sun-Times Media's Splash err...borrowed the idea.
I started reading Today's Chicago Woman in 2006 out of sheer curiosity (and because I thought it would make a good research material). Since then, I've been grabbing an issue every month (except for the times when I didn't live in Chicago) and saving quite a few of them. While not everything in it interested me, I was always impressed with the caliber of writing and photography on its pages - and I usually learned something that was new or interesting. Every once in a while, the magazine disappointing me - like that time they recommended a book that wound up being quite terrible. But things like this were aberrations, which were as bad as they were precisely because TCW was usually better than this, dang it.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, Leigh didn't shut down the magazine for financial reasons or anything like that - she just wanted to retire from publishing, basically
"Yesterday was my birthday and I made a decision to close TCW effective with the January issue, which comes out this Friday. After publishing the magazine for 32 years, I want to work less, enjoy life more and embrace new activities while I'm in excellent health. It'll be a new chapter in my life I'm looking forward to. I have enjoyed our working relationship over the years and wish you the very best in the future.”
It's the kind of thing that happened before. But after the demise of so many Chicago newspapers and magazines since 2006, it feels like an even deeper loss than it would otherwise be. Especially after this year wasn't too bad for magazines, all things considered.
The last published issue was the "List Issue," with the issue's theme displayed on the cover, right about the title. It wasn't until I was writing this post that I realized that it was one letter away from "Last Issue." Knowing Leigh's at times peculiar sense of humor (this is the publisher that one did Today's Chicago Womanizer joke issue about two decades ago), I wouldn't be surprised if that was deliberate.
Now that Today's Chicago Women is gone... Crain's and Chicago magazine would still do business stories. Chicago Social, Chicago and Michigan Avenue would still publish profiles, and business and restaurant reviews. Chicago Social, Splash and Michigan Avenue would still cover Windy City's social scene. Chicago Social will still publish travel pieces and some great photography.
But there's nothing that will cater to female professionals the way TCW did. There's no magazine that's going to have its editorial voice, its combination of business, diversions and occasional politics. Its unique editorial voice with vanish from Chicago media landscape.
And there's nothing that's going to fill the gap it left behind.
---