The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-08
STORY OF A STORY PAPER.
Robert Bonner Made n Fortune ny
Advertising.
From the New YORK Press

From the New York Press.
Bonner's Ledger to be turned into
monthly? Why. that is almost equivalent
to destroying a monument. l ana sorry
for Mr. Robert Bonner. In a short period
he has lost his best friend and spiritual
adviser, DR.. John Hall. and his dearest
child. his pet, his pride his joy, his alter
ego--the Weekly Ledger, which for more
than forty years was part and parcel OF
his existence. Bonner is now "a years of
age, clearwitted gentleman, devoted to
the fortunes of the Fifth Avenue Presby-
terian Church, the Harlem Speedway and
his Tarrytown establishment of costly
trotters. Incidentally he balances the
hoof. He began life with IS, worked the
first year for $25, the second for SIS and
the third for 45. He lives at No West
Fifty sixth street, where his stable Is
almost part of DR.. Halls church.
The success of the Ledger was due to
advertising. Bonner thought nothing OF
buying a page at a time in the leading
papers. His advertising bills must have
reached a quarter of a million dollars
year. The circulation Of the Ledger reach
ed over, 400 900. Its advertisements were
unlike those of any other publication.
Bonner believed that II all advertisements
IN paper were displayed, all were equiv
alent to no display His advertisements
were always original. They attracted at
tention and the publishers OF the papers
who were averse 90 a display objected
10 them. The biggest free advertisement
he ever received was when he offered
Fanny Fern 800 a column to write for
the Ledger The newspapers OF the coun-
try published his extravagauce broadcast,
and he estimated that the Ledger proflted
at least $4,000 by the arrangement. He
paid Henry Ward Beecher $4,000 for q
novel; which not one person in 200 can
coli httt prar 10 10
Ledger
The Bonner boys, to whom their father
gave the Ledger few years ago. at
tribute its decline to1he Sunday news
paper. This Is not altogether correct.
There Is another cause of its failing Off
namely want of advertising. These
boys, filed with new ideas, forsook to a
great extent the columns of the daily
newspapers, which had made their faith
er's fortune, and turned to the binboards
for assistance. Now, billboards are all
right for cheap theaters and circuses. per-
haps, but they are a failure as advertise
ing mediums for anything else. If the
boys had chung to the daily press, If they
had improved on the methods of their
father aud spent ten times as much as he
spent in setting forth the merits Of their
paper, the Ledger would not be drifting
off among the monthlies, but might DO
moving up into the ranks of the dailies.
Robert BonPer had the story paper in
stinct largely developed. He read with his
own eyes every word printed in the Led
ger as long as he actively managed It.
He read all manuscripts submitted, and
himself selected those which he deemed
available. The contributor. no matter how
modest and humble no matter whether
a beginner or an established author with
myphenated name, was always courteous
ly received at an outside desk by the pro-
prietor, who advanced from his private or
fee to return a story or deliver a check
I'm sorry we can't use this" he would
say in the first case. In the second, hand
ing over the check: Fetch us another
story" There was no waste of words
His prices, except for articles by dis
tinguished persons were as low as the
lowest. Anything from $50 words to a
column he paid $40 for. If over a col
umn there was generally an understand
ing, so much a word.