Founded in 1975, Illinois Times has a longstanding reputation for thoughtful news coverage and analysis. In recent years, Illinois Times has also won recognition for its investigative journalism, garnering statewide and national awards, as well as for breaking local and statewide news, helping set the agenda for the capital city of a major Midwestern state. The newspaper also strives to be the region's voice for arts and culture and provides Springfields premier arts-and-entertainment section, including a comprehensive calendar of events, weekly film and music coverage, and regular lifestyle features, including popular local columns on food, cooking and gardening.

Illinois Times is a local institution that enjoys a statewide following and a diverse and loyal readership.

Springfield has a residential population of about 120,000, but commuters to state-government and medical-community jobs cause the weekday population to swell. Available at nearly 495 newsstands, including all government offices, each edition of Illinois Times is stitched and trimmed and most pages are printed in full color. IT has a weekly print circulation of 28,000 (estimated print readership of 70,000) as well as 15,000 weekly website users. The newspaper is also distributed in 14 nearby towns.