The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1880-05-14
The Newspaper Advertising Bureau.

To Geo P. Rowell & Cos Newspaper Ad.
vertising Bureau, 10 Spruce St New York,
the press and the public are indebted for mosl
Of the statistics of American Newspapers
When this firm commenced business in 1865
there was not accessible to the public, any
thing which approximated complete News.
paper List. was the custom of the adver
tising agencies to keep theirs secret, believ.
ing that they thereby made it necessary fol
advertisers to consult them. In 1869. Messrs
Geo. P. Rowell & Co.. issued the first Amer
ican Newspaper Directory. In the preface
of that work occurred this paragraph
"We have always believed, and labored il
the belief, that, as Advertising Agents, it was
and should be in our power to be of material
service to both advertiser and publisher, and
we know no better way to convince them of
the value of their services than by issuing
this book, thus enabling them to communi
lief that we shall thereby the sooner persuade
them of the utility of employing and encour-
aging our Agency"
The result showed the position to be we'll
taken. Within twelve months their firm was
in receipt of a patronage larger than ha
ever before been accorded to an Advertising
Agency.
1t is fact, frequently commented upon
that there is no other business interest of the
country, the statistics of which are so thor
oughly set forth and made public, as that of
making Newspapers and for this the Amer
lean Newspaper Directory has the entire
credit
In 1876 at the Worlds fair at Philadel-
phia Messrs. Geo. P. Kovell & Co., erected
building in which were received, filed and
exhibited. late copies of every periodical
publication numbering at that time eight
thousand one hundred and twenty nine. OF
this enterprise, the London Times correspon-
deut, in the opening paragraph Of his letter
of July 10th of that year, writes as follows.
II have frequently had occasion tohotice
the big way in which the Americans do
things and do not know it would be easy
to find an apter illustration of it than that
furnished by the Newspaper Building in the
Exhibition grounds"
Messrs. Geo. P. Rowell Il Co. point with
satisfaction to the two years in which they
incurred the greatest expense for extending
to the public broad sources of information
concerning the business in which they are
engaged (lS69, 1879, as the Two in which,
Notwithstanding the extraordinary outlay,
did actually produce for them net income
in excess of auy other years of their busi-
ness career
One OF the strongest holds which this Ad.
vertsing Bureau has upon the newspapers,
is obtained by their system of m aking
prompt payments for work done. Newspa-
per men who have commended this feature,
when visiting the Office in New York, have
been invited to the cashiers desk and sh own
a conspicuous notice posted there, which
reads gAll bills received before twelve
O'Clock must be examined and paid to-
day."
The Advertising Agent svers to bis pat
ron, the advertiser, that he will procure for
him the lowest possible rates. His profit
comes from commission from the publisher.
To take the advertisement at q reduS ton
from the usual rates, and pay the agent for
securing it is not always pleasant for the
newspaper men, but the reflection 1--WE shall
surely get the money the day we send the
bill," he has oSten decided to accept an offer
far below the price he ought to have re-
ceived. From those newspapers which have
one price for every body, and require every
body TO pay that price, 1t is unnecessary to
say that Messrs. Geo P. Rowell & Co. OBJ.
tain no advantages beyond the established
mmission, nor do they desire any. What
they want and must have for their patrons,
is their lowest price, and when they have
that they are satisfied. They are quite we'll
aware that the best papers are. ~ general
luls. ~ shsspsst.