An investor group headed by Edwin Eisendrath and a coalition of Chicago labor unions completed the purchase Wednesday of the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Reader. The agreement culminated eight weeks that shook local media and changed the course of Chicago’s history as a two-newspaper town.
Here is a timeline of events leading to the sale, as reported on this blog. To read the full posts, click on the headlines:
May 15: Chicago Tribune owner tronc moves to buy Sun-Times
May 15: Tronc could buy Sun-Times by month’s end, publisher says
May 15: Sun-Times sale to Tribune owners would unite old rivals
May 18: One city under tronc
May 18: Reader staffer’s shot at tronc bosses comes and goes
May 30: Sun-Times, Reader staffers oppose sale to tronc: ‘No news monopoly’
May 31: For sale: Sun-Times extends deadline for outside bidders
June 4: Eisendrath, Ritchie poised to bid for Sun-Times, Reader
June 6: Eisendrath, unions still in running to buy Sun-Times, Reader
June 12: One week to go for Sun-Times bidders
June 19: Eisendrath confirms bidding for Sun-Times, Reader today
June 19: Exclusive: Eisendrath wants Sun-Times to serve ‘the 99 percent’
July 10: Eisendrath says he’ll ‘close the deal’ for Sun-Times
July 10: Eisendrath confirms cash for Sun-Times deal: ‘I’m truly grateful to everybody’
July 11: Kirk tries to allay ‘uncertainty and concern’ at Sun-Times
July 12: Done deal: Eisendrath beats tronc to buy Sun-Times, Reader