Chicago Public Media launching community website — chicago.com — in the fall
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Amy Yee
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Chicago Sun-TimesChicago Public Media launching community website — chicago.com — in the fallsuntimes.comChicago Public Media, owner of the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ, announced plans to launch a website this fall focused on local communities — called chicago.com.
The site will include Chicago-area information, civic and cultural resources, community-sourced knowledge and opportunities for audience participation, the nonprofit said Wednesday. It will also curate headlines from the Sun-Times, WBEZ and other news sources.
For independent journalism to “truly service the public … we should have digital infrastructure that is also steered by public media companies,” Chicago Public Media CEO Melissa Bell said. The news industry “has ceded a lot of distribution to places like Facebook and X, formerly known as Twitter, and I think that has done a disservice to centering civic discourse in a healthy way.”
She didn’t disclose investments into chicago.com, but said the site is funded by ongoing fundraising by Chicago Public Media.
The launch will consist of a “minimally viable product," or a basic website, that will continue to evolve, according to Bell.
She cited other media outlets around the world as models for chicago.com. They include Village Media in Canada, Front Porch Forum in Vermont, Zetland Media in Denmark and Daily Maverick in South Africa.
Chicago Public Media will not hire new editorial staff for the site but will enlist current employees, Bell said.
Sun-Times reporters Mitchell Armentrout and Nader Issa, co-chairs of the Sun-Times News Guild representing unionized employees, said in a statement: “We’re optimistic that this new platform will serve our audiences well and attract new ones. We’re eager to learn more about how our members’ work will be featured while ensuring that union jobs at Chicago Public Media are protected.”
People are increasingly finding information through social media, online communities, search engines and social media creators, Chicago Public Media said in a news release. Yet many find it difficult to find trusted local information, according to a survey of Chicago residents by the Civic Information Needs Census in partnership with Chicago Public Media.
Launching chicago.com will help people address that information gap, Chicago Public Media said.
The website went live on Wednesday, and visitors can sign up for updates and early access, as well as join opportunities to share ideas for the site.
The Chicago Community Trust, which manages investments and gifts for foundations and family donors, owned the inactive chicago.com domain and gifted it to Chicago Public Media. The Trust didn’t disclose the value of its in-kind gift.
Michael Ferro, former chairman of Wrapports, which previously owned the Chicago Sun-Times, made a gift in 2017 to The Chicago Community Trust to acquire the chicago.com URL for an undisclosed sum.
The foundation originally intended to eventually use the domain for the public good in Chicago, Andrea Sáenz, CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, said.
“The idea that the Chicago Public Media team is developing, and the idea that they brought to us, was really well-aligned with what we hope to do,” she said.
Chicago.com will eventually be a digital hub serving the city and suburbs by providing news and information and encouraging civic life, Sáenz said.
The Trust envisions a shared space “where people could come together as Chicagoans, but also still highlight the unique activities and news of each neighborhood and community,” she said.
Chicago Public Media’s new brand comes at a time when many news organizations are struggling financially. However, Bell said 2026 financial projections indicate Chicago Public Media will be “close to break-even.”
Chicago Public Media, parent of WBEZ, in 2022 acquired the Sun-Times and converted it from a for-profit to nonprofit status, through a You might also wanna read
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