The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-04-20
a NEWsPAPER 1FIsTAKE

Indianapolis Press. a newspaper which
was established sixteen months ago by
two Of the ablest newspaper men in its
city with large capital, Of great pop
ularity, personal influence and estab-
lished ability as newspaper managers
The Press undertook to enter field
already completely and ably filed by
another afternoon newspaper in city
of 10000 people.
The experiment has been watched
with the greatest interest by newspaper
men from one end of the country to the
other. Apparently the new paper was
making a great success and its failure
and collapse came as a surprise. 1t IS
estimated that the losses Of the paper
during its existence Of a little more than
a year aggregated $25O.000. The outcome
has been widely commented upon In its
last issue the Press said it was con
WINGED that there is room in Indian
apolis and its territory for only one
complete 2-cent afternoon newspaper
and that the News amply covers that
field
The following extracts from various
papers viii be found of interest:
Indianapolis Journal
The failure or suspension of daily
newspaper attracts more attention tnan
that Of any other business enterprise OF
equal magnitude because, in the nature
of things. it occupies "a larger space IN
the public eye. That of the Indianapolis
Press is further emphasized by the cir
cumstances under which it was started,
the prominence and standing Of Its re-
sponsible managers and its own jour
nalistic methods. 1t was started quite
as much for the purpose OF hurting the
News as in the hope of making an in
lief that the public would sympathize
with this motive That was a mistake
to begin with A successful newspaper
cannot be founded on spite The public
cares nothing for anybOdy's personal
grievances The prOprietOrs of the Press
are gentlemen of large experience ana
high standing personally, socially ana
financially, but in this commercial age
mere personality does not count for
very much in business enterprises The
Press lacked essential elements of sue
cess from the beginning and It was
further handicapped by the necessity OF
riValling in excellence and elements of
popularity two afternoon papers already
well established
We may say that the failure of the
Press TO become a paving enterprise is
another illustration Of what may be ac-
cepted as a well established fact in the
history of newspaper making and that Il
well-e established newspaper with eli
entage and a patronage cannot be ma
terially affected much less driven out
of the field, by a new venture Mr. Hcl-
liday had an established reputation as
neWspa per manager, and few men have
ever lived in Indianapolis who have had
a larger share of the respect of its intel
ligent people. Major richards has been
a most successful publisher, energetic
and resourceful. They had ample capital
for the enterprise. they surrounded
themselves with a large corps OF news
paper workers. most of whom We're cap
able men; the field was canvassed thor
oughly and Systematically Nevertheless
with personal influence. experience and
talent ample capital and complete or
ganization the Press was unable to
make any inroad upon the patronage
and circulation of its contemporaries
The old advertiser in this. as in a score
of instances that could be cited, stays
with the paper he has known. Even
readers. after a little. drift back to the
newspaper that has become familiar to
them for years. even if they occasional
" find fault with it. They cling to it
because they have long been accustomed
to it..
Indianapolis SUM-
The Indianapolis Press has given up
the fight and. with Tuesday evenings
issue, viii quit business
The News acquires the Press for the
price of its real estate and machinery,
which viii be carefully appraised. Moth
ing is paid for good Will, circulation or
advertising contracts it is said, as they
amount to little The Press owns its
y
estimated roughly to be worth in the
neighborhoOd Of $4,000 to 800, 600 The
Press began business a few months ar
ter w. J. Richards sold his interest in
the News to Smith and Williams. The
deal came about through a receivership
resulting from disagreements in the
management of the News itself which
was formerly owned by Smith. Richards
and Williams. Major Richards allowed
Smith and Williams to buy the News at
auction for S936.000, his part of which
was 46 % per cent Then he associated
himself with Mr. Holiday and began IS
suing the Press. Conservative estimates
by experienced newspaper men place the
aggregate losses of the Press at $3.50. 600
for the 16 months it has been running.
The paper has made extravagant claims
to circulation. For the two old newspa-
per veterans who made the experiment
and failed. the sun extends its sympa-
thy. But they were warned, time and
again. against the dangerous enterprise.
But they seem to have heard voices
voices from the inexperienced world and
they took them for VOx populi-vox Del.
1t is a sad picture. but lesson for 9TH
ers who hear voices
indianapolis special to Chicago Record
Herald-l
The Indianapolis Press, founded in
December, 1899. by John H Holiday
and w. , Richards was absoI bed by
the Indianapolis News, its afternoon
rival, today, at which time the last is
sue of the Press appeared. The paper
has been a masterpiece Of business en-
terprise during its short existence, and
the collapse today came with sudden
ness and surprise to a great majority
of the people, as il was generally sup
posed that the paper. while not yielding
its owners a profit, had reached a stage
where it gave promise Of being q finan-
cial success.
Experienced men We're placed at the
head of all departments. the best sal
aries ever paid in the city were given
to employees and the advance subscrip-
tcns ran up into the thousands Many
of these had been taken for but a month
or few weeks and when the time ex-
pired many Of them dropped Off.
Still the first few months of the pa
per's existence showed a circulation Of
about $4,000 copies a day. and then it
began to drop Off gradually. The peo-