Author Event - James Elsener
Sun, Apr 12
|The Book Loft Oak Park
Sirens in the Loop: A History of the City News Bureau of Chicago “Sirens in the Loop” traces the rise and legacy of the City News Bureau of Chicago, the legendary news wire service that shaped generations of reporters and defined the city’s gritty journalistic identity.
Time & Location
Apr 12, 2026, 2:00 PM
The Book Loft Oak Park, 1047 Lake St, Oak Park, IL 60301, USA
About the event
“Co-authored by veteran editors Paul Zimbrakos and James Elsener, the narrative traces the agency’s evolution from its founding in 1890 to its closure a century later. It offers a front-row seat to Chicago’s most harrowing headlines, including the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Our Lady of the Angels fire, and the Tylenol murders. Beyond the hard news, the book captures the "Chicago style" of reporting through numerous anecdotes from alumni luminaries like Mike Royko, Kurt Vonnegut, and Seymour Hersh.
The title refers to the "Sirens in the Loop" BULLETINS that signaled immediate breaking news to the city’s media outlets. From the clatter of manual typewriters and pneumatic delivery tubes to the digital age, this book stands as a testament to a bygone era of street-smart, high-stakes reporting that shaped the landscape of American journalism.
Co-author Paul Zimbrakos was the legendary editor at City News Bureau for 43 years. He was…