The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1883-05-24
NEW YORK NEWSPAPERS.
Some Figures About What IL Costs to Ma
Them,

Some Figures About What II Costs to Max
| Them,
The following is from an interview will
Mr.. Charles A. Dana, in the Daily States
"What does it cost to run a first-class New
York newspaper ?"
at costs a great deal more than it did ten
or twenty years ago. There is a great i'm
provement in the intellectualquality OF the
newspapers of New York city. They are
better furnished with talent in every de-
partment and spend great deal more mon
ey for contributions than they used TO
spend fifteen years ago. The cost OF white
paper formerly made up fully one-half OF
the whole expense of the newspaper, now
it makes up about one-quarter; then paper
cost from twelve to fifteen cents per pound.
now it costs from six to seven cents per
pound. Owing to this great reduction IN
the cost of paper, the well-established
newspapers in New York city are all OF
| them making money, and even the
Tribune, which has been weighed down by
an immense investment in real estate,
seems at last to have got through with the
effect of this misfortune, and has COM
menced to do more than pay its expenses.
"a first rate newspaper in New York will
require about ten editorial writers, whose
daily duty it is to furnish leading articles
and editorial paragraphs: Many OF these
writer's have their special duties, but there
| must always be five or six men who are able
to turn their hands to subjects OF any
description as they happen to come up.
competent writer OF leaders will be paid
from 500 to $50 per week, and no man tit
to supervise them and perform the func-
lions of editor.ip. chief can be had for less
than from $50 to $500 per week. The re-
porters are Of two classes: First, those
of the regular staff, who are paid by the
week at rates varying from $40 TO $50.
These perform not only the routine duties
ofreporting, but are always prepared to be
sent off upon special service, in which case
their railroad fares, carriage hire, hotel
bills and other expenses are paid by the Of
flee.
Then there are q number of reporters at
tached to each paper who are paid accord
ing to the work they perform, without hav
Ing any prescribed functions, and who must
hold themselves in readiness to DO what
ever may be necessary. Some OF these
gentlemen are men of talent and learning,
and in time will make their way into the
front rank as writer's and editors. l know
men who, without having regular salaries,
average from $50 to $75 week. Of these
two classes of reporters, taken T..
gather, a tirst-rate paper must employ
about fifty. Next there are the correspon-
dents, both at home and abroad, and these
are likewise divided into two classes, those
who are employed upon regular salaries,
and those who are paid as their contribu-
tons are printed. In Washington, Tor in
stance, each newspaper has need both OF
regular correspondents or reporters and OF
occasional contributors, and the different
papers differ as to the respective numbers
OF these two classes. In Albany each New
York paper must have its regular staff de-
voted to its service, while in the other cap
itas OF such states as New Jersey, Pennsyl-
vania, Ohio and Massachusetts,. the papers
are served by occasional correspondents,
since the news of these more distant places
u.s. for the most part, not important enough
in New York to be constantly reported
there. In Europe, also, every leading pa
per has its regular staff of correspondents
In the chief cities. There must especially
be correspondent in London and one in
hParis who report constantly either by post
or by cable.
In the Sunday edition of most of the
prominent papers ofNew York city there is
Away cable dispatch summing up the
news of the week and reporting the inter
esting POLITICAL social, artistic or litera-
~ events on which the reporters of the as
ISOLATED p'ess, whose kilograms are for.
wared every day, do not ordinarily dwell.
Thus the expense ofthe sort ofpapers we
are considering vary Tor the most part,
mainly according as they print large or
small editions, the chief difference being in
their consumption of white paper. OF this,
the Herald uses more than any other jour-
nal On Sunday, especially, its advertising
sheets are many, and on that day it will
sometimes print one hundred and thirty
columns of advertisements alone, so that
the amount Of white paper it uses is enor-
nous.
But apart from this item, the expenses
OF one OF these papers for the editorial de
partment, including writers, reporters and
correspondents will be from 81 OO0to 5000
per week, and its ordinary telegraph bills,
including the cost Of special cables from
Eurone, will average perhaps from 500 TO
81, 600 a week; decomposition bills will
vary from $1,000 ~ 600; its publication
department will cost from $1,000 to 5000;
its stereOtypiDg viii be perhaps 500, and
its miscellaneous expenses rom $1,000 10
$1,000. making a total Of from 5000 TO
$40 coo week. 0fcourse these figures will
be a little less in dull times when there is
little telegraphing. and no occasion for spe-
cial expenditures than when there is great
public excitement, such as a presidential
canvass or great public catastrophe, when
IL is necessary to send many men out and
spend great deal of money in obtaining
news; but the general average will be about
what have stated"