Time Out Chicago editor Joel Reese has been fired after allegedly violating a company policy. When asked about the circumstances surrounding Reese's ouster, and about which policy was broken, TOC marketing director Tony Barnett declined to comment.

Time Out's North American editorial director Elizabeth Barr, who is responsible for hiring editorial staffers, will fill Reese's day-to-day responsibilities in the interim. Barr is considering candidates from outside and within the company.

Barr is down another key player, too, as art director Bryan Erickson recently announced plans to leave TOC and rejoin fashion and entertainment magazine BlackBook in New York. A Chicago Sun-Times news report indicated that Erickson decided to leave TOC because he did not "mesh well" with Reese and was frustrated over an apparent lack of creative control over the magazine's design.

"There is no truth behind Bryan and Joel not meshing," writes Barnett. "Bryan misses New York and wishes to return there. This decision about Bryan's departure was made public before Joel and Time Out Chicago parted company."

Reese, the magazine's former features editor, took the helm as editor five months ago, replacing founding editor Chad Schlegel. Reese joined the magazine at its launch in March 2005 as a senior editor.