In this episode with host Hermene Hartman, Tracy Baim Baim discusses her career in media and her upcoming departure as editor-in-chief of The Chicago Reader.

"I think alternative really is the new mainstream to me. Like alternative media is where you're going to be really local. "- Tracy Baim

Tracy Baim is a publisher and journalist who has been at the forefront of Chicago media for over three decades. She is the co-founder of Windy City Times, one of the nation's leading LGBT news publications, and has been the publisher of the Chicago Reader since 2016. A tireless advocate for community media, Baim is a leading voice in the push for more resources for local journalism.

This is Tracy Baim's story...Tracy Baim has been in the publishing business for over 30 years. She is the publisher of the Chicago Reader, an alternative newspaper. She has seen the industry change a lot over the years, from the decline in print media to the rise of digital media. Despite these changes, she still believes in the importance of print media and its role in providing information to the public. She is also hopeful that small community media outlets will continue to thrive.In this episode, you will learn the following:1. The role of community media in informing and shaping public opinion2. The challenges and opportunities of running a media organization3. The evolving landscape of media, including the rise of digital and social media

Listen: Apple Podcasts|Spotify|Stitcher|Amazon Music|Google PodcastsChapter Summaries:[00:00:00] - Hermien. Hermene Hartman hosts a conversation with Tracy Baim Baim, an alternative newspaper publisher.[00:00:43] - Tracy Baim is the publisher of Chicago Reader. She is not retiring, but she is looking for a new job. Tracy Baim wants to work in the journalism ecosystem and advocate for more resources for community media. [00:04:38] - The Reader started in 1971 as an alternative newspaper. Now, because of the egalitarian nature of the internet, anybody can start a newspaper, and it's cheaper to do it than when N'DIGO started. Even Twitter and social media are different kinds of channels to communicate. That never existed before.[00:06:09] - As a publisher, it's a great honor to be in that role. But there are sacrifices. She misses the physical part of producing a paper, but she appreciates the stages of media before it became digital. She wants to get back to the writing that inspired her to go into journalism when she was ten.[00:09:09] - As a student at Lane Tech High School, she learned about hotel machines and computer graphic machines. He was a sociologist, a psychologist, and a behavioral scientist at City Colleges.

[00:10:32] - When she took over at the Reader, it was losing a million dollars a year. She had to turn around the trains, make some new tracks and create new revenue opportunities. Now it's growing stronger on digital and social media. It's printing 60,000 copies every two weeks. It went by weekly during COVID. It will stay biweekly.[00:13:20] - Tracy Baim thinks the vast majority of media will be distributed online in the future.[00:14:33] - BMO for Black and Latinx Businesses program provides better access to educational resources, partnerships and funding for small businesses. BMO has already provided financing to more than 1200 businesses throughout the Midwest. Business owners who are part of the program benefit from a wide range of tools, webinars and coaching.[00:15:54] - Tracy Baim Baime believes that the traditional access points to get into media are a high bar. She would like to see Journalism 101 taught in high school and then in college. She thinks there's a symbiotic relationship between community media and mainstream media. She believes that citizen journalists in social media sphere could benefit from understanding the basics of research and fact-checking.[00:21:02] - Hermene Hartman and Tracy Baim are talking about the future of the m...