EXHIBIT 31.1


                                  CERTIFICATION
                                  -------------

I, Robert M. Jelenic, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Journal
Register Company (the "Registrant"), certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Registrant;
2. Based on my  knowledge,  this  quarterly  report  does not contain any untrue
   statement of a material  fact or omit to state a material  fact  necessary to
   make the  statements  made,  in light of the  circumstances  under which such
   statements  were made, not  misleading  with respect to the period covered by
   this report;
3. Based  on  my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
   information included in this report,  fairly present in all material respects
   the  financial  condition,  results  of  operations  and  cash  flows  of the
   Registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4. The  Registrant's   other  certifying  officer  and  I  are  responsible  for
   establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined
   in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Registrant and have:
   a.  Designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,   or  caused  such
       disclosure  controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision,
       to ensure that material information relating to the Registrant, including
       its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those
       entities,  particularly  during the period in which this  report is being
       prepared; and
   b.  Evaluated the effectiveness of the Registrant's  disclosure  controls and
       procedures  and  presented  in this  report  our  conclusions  about  the
       effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of
       the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
   c.  Disclosed in this report any change in the Registrant's  internal control
       over  financial  reporting  that occurred  during the  Registrant's  most
       recent  fiscal  quarter that has  materially  affected,  or is reasonably
       likely to  materially  affect,  the  Registrant's  internal  control over
       financial reporting; and
5. The Registrant's other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our
   most recent evaluation of internal control over financial  reporting,  to the
   Registrant's  auditors and the audit committee of the  Registrant's  board of
   directors:
   a.  All  significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in the design or
       operation  of  internal  control  over  financial   reporting  which  are
       reasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant's ability to record,
       process, summarize and report financial information; and
   b.  Any fraud,  whether or not material,  that  involves  management or other
       employees  who  have a  significant  role  in the  Registrant's  internal
       control over financial reporting.


Date: November 5, 2004                    /s/ Robert M. Jelenic
                                          --------------------------------------
                                          Robert M. Jelenic
                                          Chairman, President and Chief
                                          Executive Officer