EXHIBIT31.1

Certification

I, Robert M. Jelenic,certify that:

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| 1.  | I have reviewed thisQuarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended September 25, 2005of Journal Register Company (the"Registrant"); |

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| 2.  | Basedon my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of amaterial fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make thestatements made, in light of the circumstances under which suchstatements were made, not misleading with respect to the period coveredby this report; |

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| 3.  | Based on myknowledge, the financial statements, and other financial informationincluded in this report, fairly present in all material respects thefinancial condition, results of operations and cash flows of theRegistrant as of, and for, the periods presented in thisreport; |

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| 4.  | The Registrant'sother certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing andmaintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in ExchangeAct Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financialreporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f))for the Registrant andhave: |

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|  | a.  | Designed such disclosurecontrols and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls andprocedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure thatmaterial information relating to the Registrant, including itsconsolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within thoseentities, particularly during the period in which this report is beingprepared; |

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|  | b.  | Designed suchinternal control over financial reporting, or caused such internalcontrol over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision,to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financialreporting and the preparation of financial statements for externalpurposes in accordance with generally accepted accountingprinciples; |

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|  | c.  | Evaluated the effectiveness ofthe Registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presentedin this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of thedisclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period coveredby this report based on such evaluation; and |

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|  | d.  | Disclosed in this report any change in theRegistrant's internal control over financial reporting thatoccurred during the Registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (theRegistrant's fourth quarter in the case of an annual report) thathas materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,the Registrant's internal control over financial reporting;and |

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| 5.  | The Registrant's othercertifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recentevaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to theRegistrant's auditors and the audit committee of theRegistrant's board of directors (or persons performing theequivalent functions): |

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|  | a.  | Allsignificant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design oroperation of internal control over financial reporting which arereasonably likely to adversely affect the Registrant's ability torecord, process, summarize and report financial information;and |

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|  | b.  | Any fraud, whether or notmaterial, that involves management or other employees who have asignificant role in the Registrant's internal control overfinancialreporting. |

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| Date:November 2, 2005 |  | /s/    Robert M.Jelenic         |
|                  |  | Robert M. JelenicChairman andChief ExecutiveOfficer |
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