Sun-Times vs. Tribune

The Sun-Times is ratcheting up its efforts to overtake the Tribune (in their own paper, of course):

Communications conglomerate Tribune Co. has an unusual way of practicing communications in the Chicago area.

Tribune stifles it.

Tribune Co. recently ordered WGN-AM (720) radio staffers to re-record the voice-over for a Chicago Sun-Times commercial that highlighted the Sun-Times' readership edge over the Chicago Tribune in Chicago. The 30-second spot initially was voiced by Dean Richards, the high-profile TV and radio personality whose distinctive voice is easily recognized at Tribune-owned WGN.

Obviously too easily recognized for Tribune Co. brass, and a week after the spot first aired, they ordered the re-recording.

The article goes on:

Then just last week, the Trib advertising sales department rejected a Sun-Times print ad that also said the Chicago Sun-Times enjoys greater readership than the Tribune in the city. The Sun-Times ad was based on data from Scarborough Research that compared readership of the Sun-Times and the Tribune for five daily editions plus Sunday, and showed the Sun-Times with a clear edge in readers.

Anyone who has ever read the two papers knows why this is true. The Sun-Times is a city paper, with a focus on city news and reporting. They are the ones that always break corruption stories, for example. The Tribune is a regional paper, which is why its overall circulation is much larger. (The Tribune dominates the Sun-Times in the suburbs.)

The Tribune's laughable response is that when it is combined with Red Eye, then the circulation is higher. For those that don't know, Red Eye is a free little daily paper read on the buses and trains by people who don't read a newspaper. It's not a fair comparison.

I'm not trying to rip the Tribune here, but I just think this kind of thing is amusing and interesting. I especially like the way the Sun-Times is using its own paper to publish these "news" stories.