The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-07
NEWSPAPERS AS MoNEY-EATERs.
Some Recent Ventures Which Have
Swallowed Up Fortunes


From the Jacksonville CFla.) Times Union.
The failure of the Palatka Ne,OS to main
tain itself with Associated Press dispatches
is in accordance with laws as inexorable as
those of physical nature. The conditions
of success in the newspaper world are not
different from those which pertain to other
lines of business. A newspaper is simply
business enterprise, and must
adapt itself to the field in which
the enterprise is launched. If
Park & Tilford should set up one of their
palatial grocery stores in little rural vii
lage, the inevitable failure of the enterprise
from lack of sufficient support would be
patent to every observer. The attempt to
maintain newspaper carrying the Associ-
ated Press dispatches in q city of 5000 in
habitants is precisely as absurd, and for the
same reasons. The truth is, there is not a
city in Florida or Georgia that, by itself,
would support newspaper carrying the
Associated Press dispatches.
A large proportion of support comes from
subscribers and advertisers obtained en-
tirely outside of the State "A still larger
proportion comes from points within the
State and all over the State outside of the
city Of publication. The same conditions
apply to attempts to maintain two news
papers in a small field. 1t has been proven
over and over again by experience in Sa-
vannah, in Atlanta, in Charleston, in Au-
gusta, in Mobile, in Nashville, and in other
cities, that two morning daily news
papers of high rank cannot be sus-
tanned by any city of less than
of that population must be an active bust
ness center Augusta, Ga, has Just seen
$40, 600 sunk in an attempt to establish a
newspaper in the field of the Chronicle. In
Chattanooga a competitor of the Times has
just succumbed after two years struggle,
in which about $4,000 were sunk In
Nashville $50, 900 were sunk within year
and a half in the attempt to establish the
Union il the field of the American, and
then the enterprise had to be abandoned.
Yet Nashville is city of sc, 900 inhabitants.
In New Orleans, city of 250,000 inhabit-
ants, at least $3.50 900 has been sunk within
the past ten years in an attempt to establish
a third morning paper in a field which is
only large enough for two. The conditions
are iueXorable, and throughout the country
the same results follow the same expert
mentS.
Forty years ago the notion that all that
was required to establish a newspaper was
bottle of ink, pine table, bushel or two
of type. and some blank paper, was APP
proximately correct; but within a genera
ton the character of a newspaper and the
conditions of its success have not only been
changed, but they have been transformed.
The expenses of modern newspaper, with
its immense telegraphic service, its elabo-
rate machinery, and its large staff, are
something that is hardly conceived of by
the outside public.
Another thing which is hardly conceived
of is the hold which really popular news
paper has upon its readers. This is some
thing which it is practically impossible TO
TO break. The newspaper itself can ALLEVIATE
its readers and lose its hold upon them, but
nothing that a rival can do can loosen its
grip. At first popular sympathy is apt To
stray Off temporarily with the new oppoSi-
ton paper but old habit and custom soon
reasserts itself, and with anything like equal
merit the old journal is practically impreg.
nable
Scores of instances could he cited, prov.
ing all this, but most weil-inforn VI read
ers can recall them for themselves.