Issuu

18 | lifestyle & arts sunday breakfast ■ by david sweet More than a dozen pages of the redesigned Chicago magazine hang side by side in Elizabeth Fenner’s office a week before its newsstand introduction. Print publications have been pummeled by the Internet and other forces in the last decade. But Fenner— editor in chief of the 43-year-old publication — is undeterred. “The great thing about a print magazine is you feel like you’re going on a journey,” says Fenner, who grew up in Winnetka and is a Regina Dominican alumnus. “Appetizers in front, meatier items later. You are getting something that surprises, delights and informs. When you’re finished, you’ve had a complete experience.” The redesigned Chicago — featuring a bolder logo, new tagline (“Big City, Big Stories”) and a larger culture section, among other changes launched in its November issue — is a major transformation for the Tribune-owned publication, which is likely to be part of a sale of the firm’s print properties in the near future. The restyling took many months. As Fenner pointed out in her editor’s note, “We looked at how people consumed media today and how the best magazines in the country deliver great journalism. We analyzed research showing what you value most about Chicago (magazine).” Chicagomag.com also enjoyed a revamp, looking a bit more like the Vanity Fair and New York magazine sites and housing the lengthy listings of recommended restaurants and cultural events that had formerly appeared in the publication. Photo galleries receive more space, and more video stories are promised. Tapped to lead Chicago two years ago, Fenner moved from New York City to take the reins from Richard Babcock, who had run the country’s largest-circulation city monthly for exactly 20 years to the day. After working at Money, People and Fortune — venerable Time Inc. magazines — it was her first chance to reach her main goal: to be an editor in chief. “Long-form narratives about crime and business, stories about people and food — it’s all the stuff I had covered at different magazines, but I never had done it in one place,” says Fenner, whose 11th-floor corner office in the Tribune Tower offers a superb view of Michigan Avenue and of the Wrigley Building across the street. “Our mission is twofold; to help readers find the best of Chicago and to tell stories that matter.” Fenner would like the magazine to be comprised equally of long-form narrative pieces and service stories, such as Best Restaurants and Best Doctors — “something helpful to readers,” Fenner explains. In its first redesigned issue, Best Steakhouses were featured, along with a lengthy

Her kind of town — and magazine

profile of Michael Ferro — head of SunTimes Media, not only a journalism competitor but someone who had not given an interview in more than a decade. With newsstand sales accounting for 10 percent or more of circulation, Fenner was asked what constitutes a compelling cover. “I learned at Time Inc. that what’s key is an image plus a main cover line that are simple and promise a clear benefit. People walk by newsstands quickly, and you need to convey your message fast. “Our November cover, Best Steakhouses, is a good example. We zero in on a juicy rib-eye and run the phrase Best Steakhouses above the logo. Hard to miss the benefit of that.” Fenner’s interests in writing and editing were obvious in childhood, when the self-described bookworm wrote stories and illustrated them in a notebook. At Regina, where she served as co-editor of The Crown, she was influenced by journalism teacher Sandra Sternberg. “When we had a wacky Elizabeth Fenner idea, she was all behind us,” Fenner recalls. “We decided to do a joke issue on April Fool’s Day calling the newspaper The Clown. We had tons of fun with it. She felt weskin could do anything.” tightening After graduating fromwrinkle the University reduction of Notre Dame in 1986, Fenner worked as a management consultant in damage Boston. But after threesun years, she reversal realized it wasn’t what skintaking texturearejuvenation she wanted to do. After writing class at Radcliffe Publishing Course, she moved to New York and procured a freelance fact-checker job at Money magazine when Time Inc. was still riding high. “I was mentored by journalists. They were training from within — they spared no expense,” Fenner says. By the time she switched to Fortune in 2000, the business magazine was thick with advertising from the dotcom boom. That quickly turned, and layoffs began. “People above me on the masthead were clinging to their jobs, and I thought if I waited to move up, I’d be in for a

Time for a renovation? No, not the house.

long wait,” Fenner says. Instead, she joined Rodale’s Women’s Health when it launched as the No. 2 editor. Before long, Money magazine beckoned again, and she became the assistant managing editor. Then one of her Notre Dame roommates informed her about the opening at Chicago. “She said, ‘This is the perfect job for you,’ ” recalls Fenner, whose office features her mug shot on a variety of mock Time Inc. covers given to her when she left the company. So far it’s been a nice fit. Fenner knocked down the silos between print and online so that the entire Chicago magazine team works together. She has steered the monthly away from historical pieces, dropped its sports column and championed more deeply reported stories on lawbreakers, sexual misconduct and more. “I want to know what’s going on in Chicago right now,” she says. “ The Mexican drug cartel is happening right now. “We don’t do stories because advertisers want us to — we do them because illustration by barry blitt we think they’re best for the reader and the city. People know we’re trustworthy.” When Fenner heads to the North Shore from the city for Sunday breakfast (her parents Joe and Alice Ann Fenner live in Wilmette while her sister, Ann Braham, resides in Winnetka), she’ll stop in at Walker Bros. Original Pancake House. In her spare time, she’s a big fan of reading other magazines, such as The New Yorker (“I devour it when it comes in”), Entertainment Weekly and any and all design magazines she can find (Fenner, who took classes at Parsons The New School for Design in New York, often helps friends decorate their apartments). But it’s the new design at her hometown magazine that has her most excited these days. Says Fenner, “Some of our new fonts are literally hot off the presses. Looking at beautiful design makes me happy — and I think most people feel the same way.” ■

body contouring cellulite reduction acne improvement laser hair removal

Permanently Destroy Unwanted Fat Without Surgery

Under the Auspices of Steven Bloch, MD

1 treatment | 1 hour | 1 size smaller | guaranteed

glenview 847.901.0800

Surgical Practice

| w w w. s k i n d e e p m e d i c a l s p a . c o m h l ayears n d p of a r kexperience 8 4 7 . 4 3 2 .as 0 4a2 6plastic Aftheri g 30 surgeon, Dr. Bloch has earned a reputation of innovation and excellence in his field, considered an expert amongst experts by his peers. It’s this reputation that has lead to appearances on television programs such as the Oprah Winfrey Show and multiple features in major publications such as Vogue and Allure. Dr. Bloch offers both Liposonix® and Coolsculpting® to destroy unwanted fat in under an hour and he will personally guarantee the results. Call today to schedule a consultation.

bodybybloch.com 847.432.0840 1160 Park Ave. West, Suite 2E Highland Park

Highland Park Med Spa skindeepmedicalspa.com 847.432.0426 1160 Park Ave. West, Suite 2E Highland Park

Glenview Med Spa

skindeepmedicalspa.com 847.901.0800 1986 Tower Dr. Glenview