1.1 Characteristics of Early American Newspapers

10

MC 101: NEWSPAPERS

SULAY JALLOH

Newspapers

______

HISTORY

1) JOURNALISM IN EARLY AMERICA

1.1 Characteristics of Early American Newspapers

ü  Few newspapers existed

ü  Most publishers were printers and postmasters

ü  News was not very timely

ü  Colonial governments didn’t support the “free press” concept

1.2 Noteworthy Colonial Newspapers

1.2.1 Publick Occurrences both Foreign and Domestick

Boston, 1690, Benjamin Harris, publisher

•  1st American newspaper

•  Published without authority

•  Upsets local officials with “scandalous” story

•  Lasts only one issue

1.2.2 Boston News Letter

Boston, 1704, John Campbell, publisher

•  Published with royal permission (300 Subscribers)

•  Bland, safe stories; poorly received by public

1.2.3 New England Courant

James Franklin, publisher

•  pioneers idea papers don’t need official approval

•  Jailed for publishing without prior authority

•  Appoints brother Ben publisher and paper thrives

1.2.4 Pennsylvania Gazette

Ben Franklin, publisher

•  Proves advertising copy can sell merchandise

•  Shows journalism can be an honorable profession

•  Debuts idea of editorial cartoons

•  Greatly Improves newspaper readability

•  Easier to read type fonts

•  Use of headlines

•  Cleaner, simpler layout designs

1.3 The Political Press: 1790-1833

ü  The Federalists Debates: What are the rightful role and powers limits of the Federal Government?

ü  First Amendment: Bill of Rights ratified in 1791; guarantees freedom of the press

ü  Growth of early U.S. newspapers and their targeted audience papers grow rapidly; most cities have dailies, towns weeklies; read mostly by the upper socioeconomic class. Papers cost six cents (pint of whiskey goes for five cents); most news centers on business, political debates, speeches, new laws, and official messages

ü  Anne Royall, first woman political journalist; her two Washington papers center on political infighting and issues

2. BIRTH OF THE MASS NEWSPAPER:

THE PENNY PRESS (1833-1860)

2.1 Prerequisites for mass newspapers:

1.  Quick, cost-efficient printing presses

2.  A critical mass of literate customers

2.2 Significant contributors

2.2.1 Benjamin Day, 22, starts the New York World Lowers paper price from six cents to one penny Content centers on sex, crime, and human interest

2.2.2 James Bennett, 1855, the New York Herald Introduces financial and sports pages Advocates political reform in aggressive editorials

2.2.3 Horace Greeley, 1841, starts the New York Tribune Writing appeals to reader intellect rather than emotion News and editorials center on crusades and causes

2.2.4 Henry Raymond, 1851, starts the New York Times Introduces objective and reasoned journalism

2.3 Legacy of the Penny Press:

It changed the following:

ü  The basis of a newspaper’s economic support (from affluent subscribers to advertising aimed at a mass audience)

ü  the pattern of distribution (from mail subscriptions to direct street sales)

ü  the way news was collected (advent of professional “beat” reporters)

ü  the definition of what news was (from the affairs of the commercial elite to the social life of the rising middle class); news became a commodity and began a consumer demand for “the fresher the news the better”

3. NEWSPAPERS BECOME BIG BUSINESS

3.1 Social Background

ü  The Civil War and telegraphic dispatches bring changes to the way newspaper stories are written, most notably with the introduction of the lead and the inverted pyramid story format

ü  U.S. population doubles between 1870-1900; circulations show fivefold increases

3.2 Newspaper Giants:

3.2.1 Pulitzer, E. W. Scripps, and William Hearst (Post Civil-War)

3.3 Collective legacy of this era results in:

ü  professional writing, aggressive reporting, and investigative journalism

ü  brings enthusiasm, energy, and verve into American journalism

ü  birth of banner headlines, pictures, and color printing

4. THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY (1900 – 1930)

Jazz Journalism

Impact of the Great Depression

4.1 Overall Trends

ü  circulation and profits up; number of daily papers and competing papers decline

ü  capital equipment and supply costs increase dramatically

ü  advertisers show preference for big circulation newspapers

ü  consolidation increases; chain newspapers grow

5. NEWSPAPERS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

ü  Portals and Web Partners (welcome to our world)

ü  E-Commerce (getting into online retailing)

ü  Handheld Media (wireless media and PDAs)

ü  Siphoning Dilemma (keeping what you already have

6. Defining Features of Newspapers

ü  Diverse content (news, editorials, features, sports, comics, columns, ads, etc.)

ü  Newspapers are conveniently packaged

ü  A newspaper is the only suitable medium to comprehensively cover local news and advertising

ü  More than any other medium, newspapers serve as a major historical record

ü  newspapers perform a key role in the media’s “watch dog” function for society

ü  newspapers are timely

7. ORGANIZATION OF THE NEWSPAPER INDUSTRY

ü  Print dailies

ü  National newspapers

ü  Large metropolitan dailies

ü  Suburban dailies

ü  Small town dailies

ü  Print weeklies

7.1 Print Dailies (publication frequency)

ü  Dailies continue slow decline in total numbers

ü  National circulation totals continue to slide

Formula: circulation = subscription + newsstand sales;

ü  Ratio of readers to population continue to slide

7.2 National Newspapers

ü  Only a handful exist

USA Today

Wall Street Journal

New York Times

ü  Aimed at national audiences

ü  Satellites send publishing info to regional plants

8. RECAPTURING READERS: TACTICS AND TRENDS

ü  eye appeal: increase use of color and graphics

ü  writing style: shorter stories; more use of summaries and sidebars

ü  story content: shorter hard news; more use of lifestyle and utilitarian feature stories

ü  continued emphasis on—and stories aimed at—attracting the under-35 market

ü  Special-Service and Minority Newspapers

9. NEWSPAPERS ONLINE

The big difference between online and print papers revolves around distribution methods rather than news functions

9.1 Advantages of Online Papers

ü  No limits on story length or number of pictures

ü  Can be continually, easily, and inexpensively updated

ü  Offers readers several ways to interact online

9.2 Online Newspaper Profiles:

ü  1,100 papers now online 148 of 150 top papers active

ü  Staffs smaller, younger, less traditionally oriented

ü  Vary widely in size, mission, complexity

ü  Role, culture, and traditions continue to evolve

10. NEWSPAPER OWNERSHIP

The two most significant facts about newspaper ownership are these:

10. 1 concentration of ownership is increasing as large group owners acquire more papers

10.2 there has been a decrease in the number of cities with competing papers

10. 2 Pros and Cons of Group Ownership

ü  group critics site cons of: less diversity of opinion, absentee ownership, lack of local empathy, profits valued above quality, and a tendency to avoid controversy

ü  group defenders site pros of: large financial resources, can afford latest technology, can provide elaborate training and public-service programs, less market pressures

11. PRODUCING THE NEWSPAPER

11.1 Departments and Staff

Organization varies with newspaper size, but common functions similar

ü  publisher (in charge of entire operation; sets editorial policy)

ü  three main departments: business, production, and news-editorial

ü  managing editor (in charge of day-to-day news-editorial operations)

ü  wire editor (in charge of stories coming over the major news services)

ü  city editor (in charge of local news coverage; assigns reporters to local beats)

ü  copy editor (in charge of editing, headline writing, and overall paper mechanics)

ü  specialized departments: sports, business, family, real estate, and entertainment

12. Economics

Two major revenue sources for newspapers:

ü  advertising: about 80 percent

ü  circulation (subscription plus single-copy sales): 20 percent

Potential Profit Problems

ü  national circulation figures still declining

ü  percentage of people who read papers in 25th straight year of decline

ü  national literacy rates decreasing

ü  local competition for ad dollars increasing from electronic media, direct mail

ü  newsprint prices unstable

ü  growing competition for classified ad dollars, mostly from online-based services

But overall, newspapers still remain the most cost-effective medium to reach consumers for local advertisers.

12.1 Advertising Revenue

Four major sources

ü  national advertising: 8 percent of revenue

ü  local advertising: 45 percent of revenue

ü  classified advertising: 40 percent of revenue

ü  preprinted inserts: 7 percent of revenue

12.2 Circulation Revenue

ü  receipts from both subscription and single-copy sales

ü  independent distributors typically skim off 25 percent of the newspaper cover price