Chicago newspapers are in bad shape. Both major newspapers - the Tribune and the Sun-Times - are in Chapter 11. Our major alternative newspaper - the Reader is in similar straits. Now comes news that StreetWise, the little newspaper hawked by homeless folks on Chicago's street corners, will close by June if they can't raise enough money.
Every Chicagoan (or tourists taking in the sights) has heard the simplest of sales pitches, "StreetWise!", emanating from some grizzled vocal cords on a street corner or in front of a store. In fact, there are over 200 of these folks, all of whom rely on these newspapers to pay for rent, food, and other necessities. Most of us ignore them as we walk past, but every once in a while we're in that certain giving mood and we pony up the two bucks for the magazine, which we rarely read, and ends up in the recycling bin fairly quickly.
These hawkers need more folks in giving moods, and fast. The magazine is suffering from the same symptoms as our major local newspapers: decreasing sales coupled with a nasty slump in advertising dollars. Worse, their foundation support is down by over half this year. In 45 days, a 16-year tradition of "StreetWise!" calls will be silenced, and those over two hundred hawkers will most likely return to a much more desperate life: jockeying for prime space on major streets with a styrofoam cup in their hand.
So next time, when you hear the call of the StreetWise vendor, you may want to hand him or her a couple of bills and grab a copy. You might not have the opportunity in the near future.