The Onion

1900

The book featured mocked-up newspaper front pages from the entire 20th century, presented under the premise that the publication had been continuously in print since before 1900.

1988

The company is based in Chicago but originated as a weekly print publication on August 29, 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin.

According to Bolton, the most plausible explanation is that The Onion was mocking a campus newsletter called The Union. === Madison (1988–2001) === Conceived by University of Wisconsin students Tim Keck and Christopher Johnson, The Onion was founded as a weekly print newspaper for satirical news in 1988 in Madison, Wisconsin, by Keck and Johnson with their friends Scott Dikkers as cartoonist and Peter Haise as publisher.

The properties will be formed into a new company named G/O Media Inc. ===Print edition (1988–2013)=== During The Onion print edition's 25-year run—from the publication's initial creation in 1988 to the end of the print edition in 2013—it was distributed for free in various cities across the United States and Canada as well as via paid mail order subscription to subscribers around the world.

1989

In 1989, Keck and Johnson sold the paper to Dikkers and Haise for $16,000 ($19,000 according to some sources).

1993

Club was created in 1993 as a supplement to the parent publication.

The bottom three inches were reserved as ad space for coupons that were typically purchased by local, student-centered or inexpensive establishments, such as eateries and video rental stores. The June 16, 1993, issue of The Daily Iowan ran a profile of Dikkers, in which it stated that "Dikkers still lives in Madison, spending about five hours a week on Jim's Journal and the rest of the time as co-owner of a satirical newspaper called The Onion". In a 1994 interview with U.

I get the feeling that the print version is read by people hanging out in bars". In the fall of 1996, Ben Karlin, who had been a writer/editor for the publication since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1993, moved to Los Angeles and joined other former Onion staff members to create a pilot for a news parody titled Deadline: Now for the Fox Network.

1994

The bottom three inches were reserved as ad space for coupons that were typically purchased by local, student-centered or inexpensive establishments, such as eateries and video rental stores. The June 16, 1993, issue of The Daily Iowan ran a profile of Dikkers, in which it stated that "Dikkers still lives in Madison, spending about five hours a week on Jim's Journal and the rest of the time as co-owner of a satirical newspaper called The Onion". In a 1994 interview with U.

1996

The Onion began publishing online in early 1996.

A lot of these other shows are created by 50-year-olds, written by 40-year-olds and performed by 35-year-olds". In the spring of 1996, Ben Karlin and Dikkers collaborated with Robert Smigel and Dana Carvey to create four short Onion news segments for The Dana Carvey Show.

Although four fake news segments anchored by Stephen Colbert were recorded, only one of the segments actually aired. In 1996, when it was still only a print newspaper, an Onion article titled "Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia" was widely disseminated online without attribution, spurring the creation of The Onion's official website (theonion.com) so they could properly claim credit for content that was being passed around online forums such as Usenet and various mailing lists.

I get the feeling that the print version is read by people hanging out in bars". In the fall of 1996, Ben Karlin, who had been a writer/editor for the publication since graduating from the University of Wisconsin in 1993, moved to Los Angeles and joined other former Onion staff members to create a pilot for a news parody titled Deadline: Now for the Fox Network.

In the wake of Karlin's departure, Siegel assumed the publication's duties as editor of the publication. Sometime after The Onion appeared online in 1996, the publication was threatened with a lawsuit from Janet Jackson because of the article "Dying Boy Gets Wish: To Pork Janet Jackson".

1997

While the 15-minute pilot, which was completed in 1997, was never picked up as a series for production, its creation lead to steady writing work for Karlin and other former Onion staffers, such as writing some episodes of Space Ghost Coast to Coast on the Cartoon Network.

1998

"We were very nearly sued out of existence by Janet Jackson", said Siegel, adding that in the past he was forbidden to talk about the legal matter and the celebrity involved. On January 27, 1998, MTV premiered Virtual Bill, a collaboration between writers of The Onion and 3-D character studio Protozoa.

After the initial premiere, Virtual Bill returned to MTV on December 17, 1998, with another TV special and an interactive web special produced by Pulse that ported the 3D data into a web compatible format using Pulse's proprietary plug-in. In January 1999, when Jon Stewart became the host of The Daily Show he tapped former Onion writer/editor Karlin to be [writer] of the newly restructured show.

1999

In 1999, comedian Bob Odenkirk praised the publication as "the best comedy writing in the country". The Onion also runs The A.V.

After the initial premiere, Virtual Bill returned to MTV on December 17, 1998, with another TV special and an interactive web special produced by Pulse that ported the 3D data into a web compatible format using Pulse's proprietary plug-in. In January 1999, when Jon Stewart became the host of The Daily Show he tapped former Onion writer/editor Karlin to be [writer] of the newly restructured show.

When I got back to Los Angeles, they offered me the head writer job". From March 3–7, 1999, writers and editors of The Onion attended U.S.

Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado in part to promote the forthcoming Our Dumb Century anthology and were met with effusive praise for their work from notable comedians such as Conan O'Brien, Dave Foley and Dave Thomas as well as cartoonist Peter Bagge and musician Andy Prieboy. On March 18, 1999, The Onion's website won its first Webby Award in the category of "Humor". On March 23, 1999, The Onion's first fully original book, Our Dumb Century was released.

2000

DreamWorks planned for the finished "Tenth Circle Added to Rapidly Growing Hell" to involve animation as well as musical singalongs. In June 2000, writers and editors of The Onion participated in Comedy Central panel discussion moderated by Jeff Greenfield titled "The State of The Onion" during the "Toyota Comedy Festival 2000". In July 2000, The Onion's editor Robert Siegel was named one of People magazine's most eligible bachelors.

The news of the move left many of the writers—who moved with the publication from Madison to New York City in 2000—"blindsided", putting them in a position to decide whether to uproot themselves from New York City and follow the publication to Chicago, which was already home to the company's corporate headquarters.

2001

"With their witty, sophisticated humor, they will undoubtedly soon be the toast of the town." Weinstein added. On September 27, 2001, The Onion debuted its New York City print edition with an issue focused on the September 11 attacks.

The sale was a process that had been in the works since July 2001 and according to a memo from then owner Haise, "[Schafer] understands our quirky company and knows that we need some time to get to a higher level of operations and sales." In a 2003 CNN profile of The Onion, Schafer stated with regards to the company and the purchase, "The Onion's strong point was never accounting, financial management, or business.

2002

In a 2002 interview, then-editor in chief Rob Siegel said, "If you look at the breakdown of people who read The Onion online, it's like Microsoft, Dell Computers, the Department of Justice and then, like, University of Wisconsin.

The popularity, and critical praise, of the issue resulted in The Onion's website's online traffic nearly doubling in the weeks following the attacks. In November 2002, a humorous op-ed piece in The Onion that was satirically bylined by filmmaker Michael Bay titled "Those Chechen Rebels Stole My Idea" was removed from the site without explanation.

2003

Entertainment industry trade magazine Variety theorized, "It's not clear if Bay—a frequent object of The Onion's satire—requested the move." In 2003, The Onion was purchased by David Schafer, who had previously managed the $2.5 billion investment fund, from previous long time owners Peter Haise and Scott Dikkers.

The sale was a process that had been in the works since July 2001 and according to a memo from then owner Haise, "[Schafer] understands our quirky company and knows that we need some time to get to a higher level of operations and sales." In a 2003 CNN profile of The Onion, Schafer stated with regards to the company and the purchase, "The Onion's strong point was never accounting, financial management, or business.

Buying it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but we felt we could get a handle on it." Also in 2003, editor Robert Siegel quit his day-to-day role at The Onion to focus on writing screenplays full-time.

2004

Our advisors will continue to have those conversations and, hopefully, they will lead to the right outcome." In June 2015 Steve Hannah—the publication's CEO since 2004—announced he would be stepping down from the position with the new CEO role to be passed onto current president of the organization, Mike McAvoy. On September 21, 2015, StarWipe—a spinoff sister site of The A.V.

2005

Dikkers, who originally joined the staff as a cartoonist, said he was de facto editor by the third issue and became The Onion's longest-serving editor in chief (1988–1999, 2005–2008). In its earlier years, The Onion was successful in a number of university locations (e.g., University of Wisconsin–Madison and University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign).

"You can go mad thinking in headline form." In the wake of his departure, long time staff writer Carol Kolb assumed the publication's duties as editor of the publication. In 2005, The Onion moved its New York City offices from its initial Chelsea location to downtown on Broadway in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan (New York City). In 2006, The Onion launched a YouTube channel, which was structured as a parody of modern American television news programs.

2006

"You can go mad thinking in headline form." In the wake of his departure, long time staff writer Carol Kolb assumed the publication's duties as editor of the publication. In 2005, The Onion moved its New York City offices from its initial Chelsea location to downtown on Broadway in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan (New York City). In 2006, The Onion launched a YouTube channel, which was structured as a parody of modern American television news programs.

In June 2006, it was also announced that Siegel had been tapped by Miramax Films to write the screenplay for a comedy titled "Homeland Insecurity" which was slated to be about a pair of Arab-Americans who are mistaken for terrorists while traveling to Texas.

2007

In 2007, they began publishing satirical news audio and video online as the Onion News Network.

2009

On Wednesday, July 22, 2009, the publication's editor (Joe Randazzo) clarified the issue on National Public Radio's All Things Considered, stating: "I'm sure there are many Chinese conglomerates out there that would love to buy The Onion.

2011

We are, in fact, still a solvent independently owned American company." In August 2011, The Onion's website began testing a paywall model, requiring a $2.95 monthly/$29.95 annual charge from non-U.S.

"We are testing a meter internationally as readers in those markets are already used to paying directly for some (other) content, particularly in the UK where we have many readers", said the company's CTO Michael Greer. In September 2011, it was announced that The Onion would move its entire editorial operation to Chicago by the summer of 2012.

At a comedy show on September 27, 2011, then editor Joe Randazzo announced that he would not be joining the staff in Chicago. ===Chicago (2012–present)=== With the publication's core editorial staff now based in Chicago, in March 2012 Cole Bolton—a Brown University graduate of business economics, former associate economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and research associate at Harvard Business School—was named the new editor-in-chief of The Onion.

2012

"We are testing a meter internationally as readers in those markets are already used to paying directly for some (other) content, particularly in the UK where we have many readers", said the company's CTO Michael Greer. In September 2011, it was announced that The Onion would move its entire editorial operation to Chicago by the summer of 2012.

At a comedy show on September 27, 2011, then editor Joe Randazzo announced that he would not be joining the staff in Chicago. ===Chicago (2012–present)=== With the publication's core editorial staff now based in Chicago, in March 2012 Cole Bolton—a Brown University graduate of business economics, former associate economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and research associate at Harvard Business School—was named the new editor-in-chief of The Onion.

"It was just sort of a decision that I decided, two years out of college, that I didn’t like where I was going in my life, and I wanted to do something that I cared about more, so I ended up just sending stuff in to The Onion." Additionally, in March 2012 more insight into the internal issues surrounding the Chicago move—including an attempt made by the writers to find a new owner—are explored by articles in The Atlantic Wire and New York magazine's Daily Intelligencer.

The Onion has always thrived on the youngest, greenest people." In August 2012, it was announced that a group of former The Onion writers had teamed up with Adult Swim to create comedy content on a website called Thing X.

2013

In 2013, The Onion ceased publishing its print edition and launched Onion Labs, an advertising agency. The Onion's articles cover current events, both real and fictional, parodying the tone and format of traditional news organizations with stories, editorials, and man-on-the-street interviews using a traditional news website layout and an editorial voice modeled after that of the Associated Press.

Adult Swim is just looking at it from a business standpoint." In June 2013, it was announced that Thing X would be shutting down with some staff moving over to parent website adultswim.com on June 18, 2013.

The properties will be formed into a new company named G/O Media Inc. ===Print edition (1988–2013)=== During The Onion print edition's 25-year run—from the publication's initial creation in 1988 to the end of the print edition in 2013—it was distributed for free in various cities across the United States and Canada as well as via paid mail order subscription to subscribers around the world.

By the time the print edition of The Onion ceased publication in December 2013, it was only available in Chicago, Milwaukee and Providence.

2014

ClickHole is a satirical website founded in 2014 which parodies clickbait websites such as BuzzFeed and Upworthy.

"I was never in an improv group, never in a sketch group, never wrote for an Onion parody in college", said Bolton in a 2014 interview with comedy publication Splitsider.

2015

Our advisors will continue to have those conversations and, hopefully, they will lead to the right outcome." In June 2015 Steve Hannah—the publication's CEO since 2004—announced he would be stepping down from the position with the new CEO role to be passed onto current president of the organization, Mike McAvoy. On September 21, 2015, StarWipe—a spinoff sister site of The A.V.

It was closed on June 17, 2016. In October 2015, CEO Mike McAvoy announced a restructuring of the organization, layoffs as well as a series of management changes.

2016

It was closed on June 17, 2016. In October 2015, CEO Mike McAvoy announced a restructuring of the organization, layoffs as well as a series of management changes.

There's demand, but we just overestimated what the demand is." In January 2016, CEO Mike McAvoy announced that Univision Communications had purchased a 40% stake in Onion, Inc.

2017

Nadler, @midnight co-creator Jon Zimelis and writer/producer Alex Blagg. In September 2017, it was announced that the site's editor-in-chief Cole Bolton and executive editor Ben Berkley were stepping down from their posts.

2018

A source familiar with the situation said that departures were partially due to disagreements about the direction the site was taking under the ownership of Univision. In March 2018 the employees of the company announced they had unionized with The Writers Guild Of America, East.

Club, The Onion, ClickHole, The Takeout, Onion Labs, and Onion Inc.’s video and art departments." The union was recognized on April 20, 2018 and reached a contract agreement with management on December 20, 2018. In July 2018, rumors of pending layoffs at The Onion and related websites Clickhole and The A.V.

2019

(UCI) […] today announced that the Company has initiated a formal process to explore the sale of the assets comprising the Gizmodo Media Group (GMG) and The Onion." On April 8, 2019, private equity firm Great Hill Partners announced the acquisition of Gizmodo Media Group—including The Onion, The A.V.

2020

ClickHole was acquired by Cards Against Humanity in February 2020. ==History== ===Publication's name=== "People always ask questions about where the name The Onion came from", said former President Sean Mills in an interview with Wikinews; "and, when I recently asked (co-founder) Tim Keck, who was one of the founders, he told me...




All text is taken from Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License .

Page generated on 2021-08-05