Newspaper & Mailroom

The Onion Adds Another Layer

Friday 25. June 2010 - Announces Partnership with Chicago Tribune Media Group

Onion, Inc., publisher of the satirical newspaper The Onion and its pop-culture-focused sister publication The A.V. Club, has entered a new partnership with The Chicago Tribune Media Group , which calls for the Tribune to run the business side of The Onion’s print edition in Chicago.

Under the terms of the partnership, The Onion will maintain exclusive rights over all comedy and pop-culture content for the Chicago edition, as it does for all its print editions. The Tribune, which owns an array of niche publications in the Chicago market along with its flagship daily newspaper, will take over advertising sales, printing, and distribution of the local Onion.

“This promises to be a mutually beneficial and complementary arrangement,” said Steve Hannah, CEO of The Onion. “We get to focus on what we do best–creation of award-winning comedy and pop culture content. And the Tribune gets to add a unique product to its portfolio of publications.”

“We have best-in-class capabilities to sell, print and distribute,” said Tony Hunter, CEO of Chicago Tribune Media Group. “This is a great opportunity to extend our reach among young adults and drive more results for our clients.”

The partnership is the first of many, as The Onion will continue to expand its local newspaper business nationwide with a new franchising program (www.theonionnation.com). Print editions are currently available in eight cities–from New York to Austin, with a total circulation of about 350,000–and The Onion plans to add cities and college towns to its print network with new franchises.