Connecticut western news., 1874-05-29
STARTING A NEWSPAPER.
What 1t Ceats to Try the Experiment. i'm
 New York City.

What It COAvS 10 TTy tho NXpcr1AhchG xM .#" New York City. 4
 There being several projects for the establishment of new papers iH New York, city journal gives us some idea of the cost of such an experiment -'
 "In order to be really successful, four cent morning journal should have circulation of 35, 900, with an addition al weekly circulation of 60,000. It could not hope to have daily circula- tion equal to that of the Sun or that of the Herald. Nor are present indica- tions such as to lead the organizers to expect that they could rival the weekly circulation of the old strawberry y-seed- ling Tribune. During it's first year, such journal would hardly reach Q circula- tion of 20, ,000 Its value, including the worth of the Associated Press franchise (about $1OO, ,0O0,) and presses and type, would be about $500, 900. In the days of Raymond and Greeley the Times and Tribune were estimated at that price. Shares of the present 1SnaeS and ITi- bu,,e have, however, sold for $11, ,000. The last purchase on the World was of one-fourth the whole establishment for $IOo, ,O0O. With such circulations as we have mentioned a paper should have from sales and subscriptionsa yearly in- come of $500, ,0OO. Its expenses would be about as follows Printing paper at 10 cents pound, $250, ,000; presswork, Bullock, etc., $30, 900; composition and stereotyping, $lOO, 900; publication sala- ries, $20, ,000; ink, etc, $lO, 900; editors and reporters, ! S0,O0O; telegrams, $50,000; correspondence, $50, ,OO0 advertising, $10, ,000; gas, $5,- GOO; rent, $12, ,000 interest, $42, ,OOO; office sundries of all kinds, $25, ,000: making @ sum total for year of $684,- 900. The expenses would be more like ly to be above than below this esti-- mate; but at these figures they are greater than the income from sales, by $194, ,O00.. This sum must be made up by receipts from advertising. The usual price for transient advertising is 20 cents line. Railroads, steamship companies and theatres pay low prices; so that after deducting agents oommis- sions, the rate is reduced to an average of about 12 cents line. An ordinary newspaper column, say the length of enc in the Tunes, contains, after deduc- ting for spaces, about 250 ratable lines, the value of which at, 12 cents each would be $50. As even at our low esti- mate, it would be necessary to make up deficiency of about six hundred dol lars day, it would be demanded of the publishers that they should daily fill about twenty columns, or about three pages of the paper, with advertising. When they had done that they might begin to expect profits. How easy it is to lose or to make money in metropoi- tan journalism is evident from the fact that one column at the average rate of advertising is worth nearly ten thou, sand dollars year. It must be remem- bered, too, that the rate of expense per sheet decreases with an increase of CIT culation. For instance, after the type is set, the composition for sixty thou sand papers costs no more than if only ten thousand were printed. The same may be said of editorial expensess of rent, of interest the additionalexpense | for an increase of circulation always be- ing for ink, paper and presswork. There are journals that make profit on cireu- lation alone. Weekly editions of daily journals are usually inexpensive, and advertisements in them are very profit able. Profits from weekly advertising i would go to decrease the deficiency be- tween expenses and receipts spoken, of above. They can hardly be estimatsd'