The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1911-06-24
Running a Newspaper.

The publication of a newspaper
is a business Just the same as most
any other business,whether CONNER
cial or professional. The publ
cation of the news and of other at
tractive features is for the purpose
of getting circulation and giving in
fluence to the paper. No one mas
a right to expect the newspaper to
give away it's circulation any more
than its advertising space. But few
persons realize that the money re-
ceived from subscriptions is but
small portion of the revenue that
is necessary to publish paper. For
instance, the money received for
subscriptions will rarely, in the
case of a daily, much more than pay
for the actual cost of the paper up
on which the newspaper is printed,
to say nothing of the cost of en-
ployes' wages, type, machinery, rent,
insurance, and other expenses that
a paper has just the same as any
other business. There is another
feature, too, about the matter that
the public is not familiar with be-
cause o. the fact that it has not
investigated the matter, namely, that
a large portion of the money neces-
sary to rum a paper is paid out
weekly for wages.
An amusing incident occurred in
the Banner office the other day
when a well Informed business man
said that he supposed that the
pay roll must be right high. When
Informed that there was not store
in Cambridge that had as large a
pay roll, with the possible excep-
ton of one, he could hardly believe
it. When further told that there
were not more than two or three
factories employing men in Cam
bridge that paid out as much, he
said it must be mistake, but when
told that twenty persons found en-
ployment in the printing and carry
ing of the papers, it opened his
eyes to the fact that the printing
business probably puts more money
into circulation in Cambridge on
Saturdays than anyone has any
idea. of. ssWhy." he said, 81 had
never thought anything about it,
but you certainly do surprise me-"
As stated before, now and then
one finds a person who thinks
that they should not be charged
for a paper. Now just why pa
per is under any more obligations
to give away it's products than is
the grocer, or the dry goods mer-
chants, or the lawyer Or doctor, no
one has been able to figure out, ex-
vzzv-1ssvr -c1resr-SuCu pGr5OHE
never think of the cost attached to
it because of the cheapness at which
papers are sold. For instance, for
twenty-five or fifty cents a person
can notify several thousand persons
of the fact that a house, farm, or
some other saleable article is for
sale, when an attempt to reach as
many by any other means would
cost from $50 to 500.
Now and then someone comes
along and says put this in the pa
per, and when told that it will cost
five, ten or fifteen cents, the an
swer is, "Oh! it will help you fill
the paper" or, "It doesn't cost you
anything" Such persons never
realize that the expense of running
a business must be met by being
paid for what is done. For in
stance, carpenter may have men
working for him, but if he stops
them from their work to go and do
even a small job for someone else,
unless he is getting paid for it, he
Is losing money.
Despite, however, the little things
that come up in the newspaper bust.
ness, as in every other, causing set
backs, the business is a delightful
one, for those that like it,and one
meets with many amusing instances
In the course of weeks or
months work.