The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-02-15
How Papers Sink Money.

The union. of the Commercial and the
Gazette in Cincinnati shows in very
striking way the present tendencies of
daily journalism. Excess of competi-
ton results in the stronger papers swal-
lowing the weaker, or destroying them,
or in forced amalgamations of rival con-
Germs. With the exception of less than
q dozen papers which every practical
journalist can name, the dailies of the
country, and especially of the West, are
ceipts warrant. Many that can boast
of age, prestige and considerable inf1u-
ence are actually run at loss, in the
hope Of better times coming, or to graft
fly the pride of some capitalist or the
ambition of some politician. In the
struggle for existence the fittest do not
always survive. 1t is usually question
of financial backing rather than brains.
In most consultations the stupid paper
whose proprietors have made money
outside of legitimate newspapers busi-
ness absorbs the bright one which was
run on talent and small bank account
TO show how widespread is the ten
dency to consolidation, let us look at q
few examples by names. There is the
Pittsburg Gomnaercial- Gazette, results OF
long rivalry between two able Repub-
lican dailies; the Detroit Post and ITj-
bUne and the Milwaukee Republican,
Sentinel, outcomes of similar competi-
ton; the Louisville Courier-yournG5
which grew out of the same sort o.
rivalry for the favor of a Democratic
constituency; the New Orleans Times
Democrat, product of the same condi-
tions; the st. Louis Globe Democrat, &.
highly successful Republican paper
built up on the support of its two strug
Cling predecessors; the Times Dispatch.
in the same city, profitable outgrowtt
OF two unprottable separate ventures;
the St. Paul Pioneer-P Press, the mos:
widely circulated journal printed north
west Of Chicago, rich and enterprising,
the result of the union of two feeble
rivals; the Sacramento Record U19ton-
antecedents. strong, popular paper,
bankrupted by the hostility of the Cali
fornia railroad ring and swallowed by
rival established by the ring.
The list might be greatly enlarged.
hut it is long enough to demon strata
that the tendency towards fever dailies
and strong ones financially is not a
local one. We might almost formulate
as a law Of American journalism at this
time that two highpriced morning dali
les Of the same party cannot find sup
port in any city outside of New York
The only exceptions l can call to nina
are in Boston, Chicago and Cleveland
In Boston there are two Republican
morning newspapers, the Advertiser
and the Journal; but the Journal has an
evening edition which probably brings
in half its income. In Cleveland life
and death struggle has been going on
between the Herald and the Leader for
a long time, but they both published
evening sheets. If restricted to the
morning field one or the other would
have been forced into consolidation or
bankruptcy long ago. In Chicago the
Inter Ocean sunk at least million dol
lars before it began to pay its way, and
it became successful not so much as a
daily as by the aid of large weekly
circulation, taken away in great part
from the Tribune in the disastrous
Greeley campaign and built up by en-
ergy and liberal expense. 1t is useless
to fight against fate in the newspaper
enterprises. The big railroads annex
the little ones, the big stores kill their
small rivals and the big dailies are fol-
lowing the same modern law of the &C
emulation of capital and concentra-
ton of the power in few hands-Paila-
delphtG Times.