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And now, on to the presentation!
Chicago Newspaper Vendors Try to Make Ends Meet
By Kim Dunbar, PJ Randhawa and Randell Golman
“Good morning, good morning, Chicago Tribune, 75 cents!”
Keisha Coolidge repeats that phrase as people pass her on their way to work. She is peddling the Chicago Tribune from her spot on the corner of Van Buren and Michigan Avenues.
Coolidge is one of many Chicagoans who sell newspapers on the street in order to make a living. According to the Encyclopedia of Chicago, street peddling is in fact part of the city’s legacy, and has provided an important service to Chicago residents and continues to operate as an economic option for entrepreneurs.
From hot dog vendors to impromptu performances, people can find many things on Chicago streets. But for those who hawk newspapers to pay the bills, their reliance on selling what some experts say is a dying industry and product is a growing concern.
Coolidge, 23, is prepared for the worst.
“I’m looking for another job right now,” she said.
Low Pay, Long Hours
Coolidge and her colleague Jeremy Williams, who camps out two blocks north on Jackson Blvd. and Michigan Avenue, both get paid $10 an hour for each of their four hours of labor every morning.
“You gotta do what you gotta do,” said Williams, 23, who has been peddling papers for the last three months on his assigned corner. “You have to pay the bills to survive.”
A few blocks northeast of Williams, Gino Smith and James Smith are trying to sell copies of the competing Chicago Sun-Times. For Gino and James, the survival of print newspapers is equal to their own survival. They are both homeless and make commission off the number of papers they sell.
“These people go to work every day and buy papers and when they give us that (money) that’s our ticket to eat,” James said. “Being homeless and all, that’s our ticket to eat. I appreciate when they come and I appreciate when they sometimes give me the whole dollar and don’t wait for the quarter.”
After seven hours of street sales, from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m., the men sometimes only earn about $15. According to them, the weather often has an effect on their sales.
“When it is cold, people don’t like to dig in their pockets for the change,” James said.
But the cold isn’t the only reason the men have noticed a decline.
“The Sun-Times and the Tribune are both going down in sales,” said Gino.
Sagging Sales, Circulation
In October 2009, Crain’s Chicago Business reported that the average weekday circulation at the Chicago Tribune fell 9.7 percent and the Chicago Sun-Times circulation dropped 12 percent from the same period the previous year. The article also revealed that U.S. papers suffered a 10.6 percent decline overall for the April to September time period.
Gino’s boss, Bob, has seen this change first-hand.
“There has definitely been a decline for sure,” he said.
Bob, who did not give his last name, spends his mornings delivering and picking up copies of the Sun-Times from his street vendors and recruiting new salesmen and women. In his six years in the business, Bob has noticed a decrease in the street sales of the newspapers.
“If it all goes online, I’ll lose my job and they’ll lose their jobs,” Bob said.
Bob said there are about 40 Sun-Times street vendors in the downtown Chicago area, half of which are homeless and others who spend time in mission houses.
Brendan Wolfe, a 23-year-old auto mechanic starts his day off at the Fullerton El stop passing out RedEye newspapers to commuters.
“You know, if it all goes digital, which it already is, I think we’re all out of job,” he said.
This is Wolfe’s second job and uses the $10 an hour to supplement his income.
“I’ll just have to find something else,” he said.
For some, finding another job won’t be as easy. William Klee sells copies of StreetWise magazine outside Dominick’s on the corner of Fullerton and Sheffield avenues. Klee, who is homeless, spends eight hours a day in this spot, sometimes longer if there is a new issue out, in order to make money – but it’s still not enough.
“In line with today’s standards of life, no you don’t make enough,” Klee said. “You make just enough to keep you going from day to day. And hopefully someday you will find something that’s better.”
Klee, who has been peddling the paper for three years, said StreetWise is valuable more for what it’s meant to do.
“They’re going through a lot to help people have some type of income,” Klee added. “I’ve had times where I haven’t had any and that can be very depressing.”
‘This is Good for People …’
Street newspaper sales might appear to e a novelty upon first glance or while passing by, but for people like Klee, it serves a purpose of not only providing some income, but also increased self-worth. It is their livelihood.
“This is good for people who are homeless or unemployed,” Klee said. “It gives them a chance to have something to do and to give them some income until they can find something better. It keeps them out of trouble.”
Because selling newspapers on the street does good things for those in need, Gino and James are confident that print newspapers and street vending will survive.
“If it does go all online, a lot of people aren’t going to do that,” James said. “A lot of people appreciate us being out here. That’s the God’s honest truth. We’re not shaking a cup, we’re not begging for money. We’re selling papers. At least we’re doing something. ”
Whether that day ever comes or not, you can find Williams on his corner no matter what.
“Rain, snow, thundering, hail, Monday through Friday, I’m out here,” he said. “You have to come out here and get the job done. I’ve got to survive. I’ve got responsibilities.”
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