The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-01-27
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS.
Its Circulation md its Innucnee-Interest-
Ina Figures.


ina Figures.
Gilbert G. Hubbard's paper on "The
Daily Newspaper Press" read before
the American Social Science Convention,
was long and interesting account of
the growth of the newspaper, its in
duence with the public, and its pros
poets for the future. Referring to the
increase in the circulation of newspapers,
he said /:
A century ago the average circu.a.
ton was less than one newspaper or
periodical in a year for each person I;
now one in every four days. This in
crease has taken place almost entirely
within the last thirty years. In 1910,
l96, 600, 600 newspapers and periodicals
we're issued in 1870 eight times as
many, or 1,500, 600, ,000-a number suffi-
cient to furnish q daily to every four
families, anda weekly to each family in
our land. In the Eastern States the
number OF newspapers has remained
nearly the same since 1910, but has
greatly Increased in the Western, while
the average circulation of newspapers
and periodicals for the whole country
has increased from 1900 to $500 in 1870,
the circulation of the dailies averaging
4,5O0. In 1910, eighteen dailies were
published in New York, with an aggre-
gate circulation of about 10000. Since
then one hundred and thirteen new
dailies have been started with fair pros
poets of success; but, after struggling
for while, most of them have suspend
ed. leaving the same number of dailies
in the English language as in 1910. The
total daily circulation of the English
papers is about 100000, varying from
1000 to 100000. In the other Eastern
States the history of the press is sub
stantially the same. 1t is very difficult
to obtain reliable estimates of the circu-
lation of newspapers. The paper of the
largest circulation is not necessarily
either the best, the most influential, or
the most profitable. In New York the
Sun and the NeaUS both claim the largest
circulation, but the Herald is believed
to be the most profitable. The price OF
all papers was raised during the war,
but the demand for news was so great
that the increased cost only temporarily
checked the increase of the circulation.
1t reached its maximum at the close of
the war, was temporarily increased dur
ing the Franco -Prussian war, then de-
creased, and is now scarcely wo-thirds
as large as it was. During the last
eighteen months especially, an unusual
ly large number of papers have been re-
duced in size and price, or have sus.
pended publication. This has resulted
from lack of exciting news, followed by
depression in business, limited number
of advertisements, and the general de-
sire to economize. The decreased receipts
of the expensive papers incline them to
| economic, but their reputation and cir.
culation can be sustained only by in.
creased effort and by adaptation to es
pecial interests and classes of readers
The following statement gives the popu
lation of several of our cities in 1870
and the present circulation of papers
published in English and though the
population is larger at the present time
the circulation has decreased, and the
disproportion is more unfavorable tc
the Western cities than in 1870.