# Why did Cecil and the Chicago Reader forsake me? (No Reader at Midway airport!)(mild) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 24, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953 "2004-10-24T23:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/1 "2004-10-24T23:10:16Z")
Sick (with a cold) and sad, coming back from a funeral in Pittsburg. One thing I was looking forward: on the scale I had to take on my way home: I had to make a stop in Midway airport in Chicago, a stop of three hours. Fine, I thought, at least I will get a copy of the one an only _Chicago Reader_, and get to read the latest Cecil column… Alas… There was no _Chicago Reader_ in any newsstand in the airport!!! :sigh: Had to “enjoy” Fox news on the gate TVs while waiting for the plane… :smack: Why? Why there was no _Reader_ at the airport? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2004, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/2 "2004-10-24T23:12:29Z")
The Reader is ubiquitous in Chicago cafes, bars, and restaurants. They like to charge for everything in airports, so I’m not surprised there were no free newspapers to be had. If you really want a Reader, email me your address, I’ll send you one. Address is in my profile. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/3 "2004-10-25T00:18:20Z")
When I asked for it at one newstand at Midway, the sales lady said: “Oh yeah! I read it all the time! But no, sorry, it not available here!” ☹ > [@Kyla](#): > > The Reader is ubiquitous in Chicago cafes, bars, and restaurants. They like to charge for everything in airports, so I’m not surprised there were no free newspapers to be had. > > If you really want a Reader, email me your address, I’ll send you one. Address is in my profile. Wow! Really **Kyla**? I will send you a note, thanks a million! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/4 "2004-10-25T00:21:54Z")
I’d guess there’s a deal between the airport company and specific print houses, excluding the reader. WAG, though. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/5 "2004-10-25T01:22:18Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The Reader is ubiquitous in Chicago cafes, bars, and restaurants. They like to charge for everything in airports, so I’m not surprised there were no free newspapers to be had. You’d be surprised where you can’t find it, specifically near the entrances to the non-CTA train stations. Really used to piss me off when I had a long train ride and had finished my book… > [@](#): > > If you really want a Reader, email me your address, I’ll send you one. Address is in my profile. Please, not after the redesign. Out-of-towners who think that the Reader is some great mythical paper will start to laugh at us. I’ll say it again though: at least now we can read News of the Weird. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/6 "2004-10-25T02:03:29Z")
> [@Chairman Pow](#): > > Please, not after the redesign. Out-of-towners who think that the Reader is some great mythical paper will start to laugh at us. I’ll say it again though: at least now we can read News of the Weird. News of the Weird was always in there! I agree, the redesign sucks and is confusing. You open it and have to turn it upside down and around to find the front page. What on earth were they thinking? ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/7 "2004-10-25T03:58:32Z")
If you look at the Chicago Reader [circulation map](http://www.chireader.com/readerinc/pdfs/RDRMap.pdf) (warning: PDF), there’s appears to be no distribution in the Midway Airport area. (I know I’ll be corrected if I’m totally off, but Midway’s about 1.5-2 miles south of the Stevenson near the western/southwestern edge of Chicago city limits, and I don’t see any distribution figures there.) I’ll try to pick up two Chicago Readers next time I’m in Chicago, however. (Also, sending warm thoughts for your health and condolences on the recent funeral.) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/8 "2004-10-25T16:07:45Z")
Yeah, well, Midway is on the Southwest Side, which is decidedly unhip, and everybody knows The Reader is only aimed at the far, far hipper North Side. Us in the burbs only get The Reader’s Guide, a version with Cecil and a bunch of ads. But that shows how unhip the Southwest Side really is: even us losers in the burbs are considered hipper. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/9 "2004-10-25T16:13:05Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Yeah, well, Midway is on the Southwest Side, which is decidedly unhip, and everybody knows The Reader is only aimed at the far, far hipper North Side. That’s true. The Reader’s version of a sports section is one long essay, invariably about the Cubs. I don’t think I have ever once seen them write about the Sox. ---
**Author:** ![Chairman\_Pow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Chairman\_Pow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chairman_Pow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/10 "2004-10-25T20:11:46Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > News of the Weird was always in there! It was, but it used to have this weird gradient behind it (or maybe it was all grey, can’t recall) and it was nearly illegible. As for why: Apparently, they’re trying ot get the jump on Time Out! Chciago. Re: not reading about the Sox: You’ll never see it as they’ve taken the Sports column out. And Hot Type too! Why, oh why? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-cecil-and-the-chicago-reader-forsake-me-no-reader-at-midway-airport-mild/270953/11 "2004-10-25T20:48:24Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I agree, the redesign sucks and is confusing. You open it and have to turn it upside down and around to find the front page. What on earth were they thinking? Ah, just like the _Examiner_ went it went from Hearst to Fang. Problem was, _Examiner_ is supposed to compete with the _Chron_, not _East Bay Express_. :rolleyes: (They fixed that particular format problem, but it’s still a rag.)