The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-03-05
THE TELECRAMs GROWING
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with which business men credit it-since
only in exceptional casOs does the discrim-
mating advertiser fail to discount mater
! ially the argument OF the enthusiastic
advertising soIlcitor-we are yet. com
PEELED to admit that come of its methods
to secure public con Ddence in its bonn
bastic statements have been remarkably
clever and calculated to convince the
sceptical
1t has doubtless been remarked by
scsptlcal business men, as II has by The
News. that in recent months the Tele.
gram has developed into a rep utnbls and
imposing newspaper product, thanks TO
the loyal and intelligent labors Of a staff
Of newspaper men that it has assembled
The change In its methods and general
appearance noted by the advertiser have,
OF coarse. directly contributed force TO its
claims that it clIculates widely in this
community.
But il would now appear that. if this
change in its policy were not deliberately
designed to assist its circulation claims,
the prepos.srousness of which were grow
ing with svery month, IL, at least
favorably contributed To that end, since
In this community business men will
more readily be disposed TO believe that
decent newspaper has "A sizable eircula-
tion, where thoy could doust the claim OF
a newspaper such as the Telegram used
to be- Again, about ono year ago tho
Telegram began to print from ~ to l6
pages every epening as a regular edition.
At first glance. this seemed TO be only
an ordinary blud to Impress the com
munity that ii was really big news
pDper, tho effort, of course, being quite
transparent to persons acquainted with
local journalistic conditions. who recog.
nizs that only an extraordinary lot O
newspaper upholstery, commonly known
as padding, could ever make necessary
daily twelve-paRs paper in Providence, to
say nothing Of a sixteen-pase sheet. The
Evening Bulletin, which swallows bodily
tho matter published in the Morning
Journal, rarely requires so many as
twelve pages TO find space for all 1t
wishes TO print. A sixteen-page evening
paper in Providence Is evidently q freak
and q monstrosiiy, not To be accounted
for on any sane business grouncs of pre-
senting the complete news ard furnish
ing sufficient space for advertisements.
But the reason for the many -paged
Telegram has been for some time aprar-
ent. 1t was designed To compel belief in
the mind Of The advertiser that the Tsle-
gram must necess irily have the circula-
tion IL claimed because IL was by far tho
biRgsss newspaper product In the city.
What the twelve, fourteen or sixteen
pages were filled with, whether syndicate
matter, the Ielegram's own advertise
ments, piano schemes or certain favored
advertis sments i'm blanket space at a
small cost. made litilo difference so long
as the Telegram printed plenty Of pages
ity. Tho effect on the advertiser was
cumulative. In course OF time the Inn
preston made of substantially and
bigness of business was inevitable, and
after whils It became clear that the
last doubling advertiser was almost COM
ing to believe tnat n paper Of such seem.
ing magnificence might reasonably be
expected to have circulation somewhere
approximatinR the kilograms ever en-
larging claims The Telegram negalo-
mania began to spread among advertisers
and tho money began to cone In to the
Il eleeram's Golfers.
1t was great scheme, indeed. The
OlC-lhsnioueu ntlnOu, ny WHICH buNer-
tisements were secured on the basis Of
fear that the business man would likely
De ripped up tho back" If he didn't
patronize the kilograms columns,
naturally had its limitations. and was
possessed of nothing like tho possibilities
of success inherent in plan which con-
templated tho printing of respectable
newspaper and a tig newspaper as in
fluencss to convincs the sceptical that the
circulation claims had n foundation in
fact Accordingly when the business man
today is confronted with the statement
that the TeIegram's circulation for the
month OF January last shows an average,
daily, OF So 42i, no is almost compelled TO
believe that the greater part OF such
claim NAV be truthful. though It Is
a. I,.t A..