Chicago 'Red's Move Slowly to Paid Circ

By: Lucia Moses The Chicago Tribune's RedEye continues to widely sample the young-adult weekday paper, contrary to a Crain's Chicago Business report Jan. 13 that the paper has drastically cut back distribution of free copies, a spokeswoman said. E&P's Mark Fitzgerald found plenty of free copies available in Chicago yesterday.

The Tribune spinoff, however, has been phasing out sampling on an ongoing basis while introducing coin boxes that require a quarter deposit and adding retail sales outlets and hawkers, spokeswoman Patty Wetli said. She said that three-fourths of distribution was free when the tabloid launched in November, but that information on today's paid-free split was unavailable.

Wetli said there's no timetable to move to an all-paid model, which many observers believe will be the real test of RedEye's acceptance by young adults. "We're going to be looking at what is the right balance in the marketplace," she said. "That could take months."

The Chicago Sun-Times' rival tab Red Streak, meanwhile, said it will follow the Trib's lead in the move from free to paid.

"Why not get the revenue if they are?" said John Cruickshank, the Sun-Times' vice president/editorial.

Cruickshank said Red Streak's distribution has vacillated between 50,000 and 100,000. "I think there have been high returns on both sides," he said. "We just have not been as aggressive as they have."