Nov 9, 2008 7:20 pm US/Pacific
Obama Tribute Newspapers Fly Off Newstands
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
Newsstands can't keep them in stock. Readers are scooping up the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune's commemorative papers. CBS station WBBM-TV reports on the Obama Sunday tribute.
"I've been out of them for uh, about an hour and a half or so – they've been going like crazy," said Adnan Askar, a convenient food mart employee.
That sums up the demand for the Sunday editions of the Chicago Sun-Times and Tribune. Both papers have speical commemorative inserts profiling president-elect Barack Obama.
The 32-page Sun-Times edition gives readers a historical look at Obama and his family. The 12-page Tribune insert allows readers to see the front page covers that marked his path to the White House.
"It's history, it's history – definitely history," Askar said. "Everyone wants a part of that history, wants to be in it."
At the Tribune Tower on Michigan Avenue, Chicagoans and tourists lines up to get their hands on what has been sold out at convenience stores and newsstands.
Since 8 a.m. Randy Jackson has been searching for the editions. He went to five places in his neighborhood.
"I am so happy to be here to bring this back to France," said tourist Martine Tramus. "That's just a little testimony of a French citizen just wanting to pay tribute to this country and the turning point of our history."
To say the president-elect has been a boost for the newspaper business would be an understatement.
"We're thrilled about all this new interest in the Chicago Tribune," said employee Michael Dizon.
The Tribune usually prints about 650,000 copies of its papers each day. The day after the election, an average of 1.1 million copies were turned out.
At the Sun-Times, instead of the estimated 300,000 copies churned out each day, Chicago's bright one is creating close to two times that amount.
"It's a one-time event; it's so big you can't get your arms around it," said Sun-Times plant manager Roosevelt Jones Jr. "And who knows, it may never happen again, so you got to have a copy."
If you didn't get your copy of the special inset in the Tribune, it will be available in Tuesday's edition, sold at newsstands.
Additional copies of the The Chicago Sun-Times insert will be available at the Chicago Sun-Times store, 350 N. Orleans, Monday at 8:30 a.m. for $1 per copy. Limit 10 per customer.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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