Chicago has always been known as a newspaper town. At its peak in the mid–19th century, 11 daily newspapers and 22 weeklies were published here. Now, of course, there are just two major dailies: the Chicago Tribune and the Sun-Times, both of them making news with their own troubles. Tribune Company (which owns Chicago magazine) is listening to bids for all or part of the company, and the Sun-Times Media Group, owner of the Sun-Times, is said to be considering putting itself on the block. But as our timetable shows, the city’s newspaper history has never been a smooth ride.

Illustrations: John Kenzie