The 'New York Post' Is Bringing Its Sensational Tabloid To Chicago

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Sep 17, 2015 8:55PM

Nobody asked for it, but it's coming: the New York Post, a tabloid owned by a billionaire with a conservative agenda and known for its sometimes brilliant often questionable headlines, is coming to Chicago next week.

Tracy Maple spotted this tabloid being handed out for free—but not being taken by many—this morning on her commute:

Representatives from the Post told Chicago Magazine "The rumors are indeed true. As of next week, the New York Post is coming to Chicago. We wanted the great people of Chicago to have just a little more fun and a little more NYC in their daily media diet."

Reps told the Chicago Tribune that they will be distributing copies to "major retail locations" in the burbs starting Sept. 21. There will be no home delivery options. It's not clear if the Post will be offering original coverage of Chicago.

The reactions in Chicago ranged from eye-rolling to mockery to confusion:

Chicago Magazine says they wouldn't mind the carpet-bagging if they were pushing quality journalism, like the New York Times or Wall Street Journal, "Would Chicago benefit from another newspaper? Absolutely. Could a paper from New York City meet a need currently unsatisfied by the Tribune and Sun-Times? Probably, sure! Should it be the Post? Please, please, no."

Red Eye shrugged:

Other media watchers weren't sure what the Post is trying to accomplish:

And others trashed the tabloid as worse than fish wrap:

This is not the first time Rupert Murdoch has gotten into the Chicago media market. In 1983, he bought the Sun-Times and pushed it toward sensationalism enough that columnist Mike Royko left for the Chicago Tribune. Murdoch was forced to sell the Sun-Times (for a healthy profit!) in 1986 after he acquired WFLD-Ch. 32.