The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-10
M E N , w o M EN
 A ND T HIN G s


 scription list
 This is a day of conservation and 1t is not surprising that the circulation man kagers of the country not only have their national organization, but that the coun- try has been divided up into sections. The southeastern division has just con- cluded it's annual meet here. |
 l was out of the city and did not get d chance to attend the business conference but from what I heard from those who were present matters of vital importance were discussed and many things of mo- ment decide upon for the good of the circulation managers for the coming l year
 
 Missing the business sessions I was glad to have opportunity to register at the banquet rendered the visitors at the Tutwiler on Tuesday night It wasn't a very large affair, but what It lacked in numbers it made up in quality for be it known that no dead one" in these days of 'git-up-and-git" has the slightest look in" as the manager of
  l journal. Ehe success of the meeting here was largely due to J. H. Move, circula- tion manager of the Age-Herald and Ray South, circulation manager of the Birmingham News.
 
 I'll have to admit, in spite of the fact that l am on the editorial staff. that all the brains of the paper is not monop- ol;zed ty the coterie of bright men and women who have to make the article which the fellows down stairs have to better the paper we get out the easier it is for the circulation department to get 1t to circulating.
 In a sense the circulation man is com ing into his own. He, however, was the last man on the paper to 'arrive," but when he did get placed he has taken himself quite seriously as he should for ir the last analysis he is the fellow who has to market the intellectual wares of the fellows who wield the pen or to be more accurate Init the keys" He has to be past master both as a. salesman and as distributor, for he has to sell and deliver the finshed product.
 There is supposed to be a constant warfare between the editorial and the advertising departments, and have read and heard much unbaked criticism by those who were ignorant of the facts about the domination of the counting room over the policy of papers; but pa- pers have to have character just like in- dividuals if they hope to have the con fidence of the public, and any organ of any special interest soon loses out.
 l do not discount the tremendous i'm portance of advertising. and the service the ad' men perform both to the pa- pers they work for and the pubic which they serve. l know that for many years the publishers with a reckless abandon debauched their patrons with what canfs- very near being a gift of the paper. This was brought about by the craze of | advertisers for numbers rather than q discriminatory appraisement of the buy ing power of the readers.
 
 Circulation managers under the whir of publishers, bought subscriptions with reckless abandon, for the old idea seemed to be to charge the costs on the advertising; but the war brought them to their senses, for the price of paper went soaring, and when the balance sheet was made up it was found out that it was no longer possible to shift the bur den from the subscription revenues to the advertising side, which was carry ing it's peak load.
 Nothing but the desperate paper short age would have ever given publishers courage to revise their policies and equal ize costs by making subscriptions tote it's share of the burden of cost. There was the fear that circulation would drop, but when it was found that the larger the circulation the greater the loss, com mon sense came to the rescue and owners put their heads together and sub scription rates were raised. It was a case of life and death As a matter of fact, what cheaper commodity is there on the market than the papers, They only seem high at present, because for years they were pracllcally gwen away. But didn't sit down to solve the trials of the twentieth century publisher. I brought out what to me seems the proper relations between the editorial. adverts- ing and circulating departments of the modern newspaper. The paper which best serves it's constituency is the one in which the trinity upon which it is builded work in perfect harmony. To use a homey illustration, the three should sit in a game where all the cards are laid face up on the table-that is, if the organization expects to win
 The banquet was decided success. Postmaster R. s. South presided with ease and grace. John Hornady, Charley Harold and could hardly keep d straight face when we discovered that all three of us were at the speakers end Of the table. We had last performed together at the National Editorial association cin- ner at the Civic Association on Saturday night. But each one or us congratuiated ourselves that at least we had new crowd to spring our favorite jokes on. John ''opened the show with the city's welcome, and in telling his pet story about being from Georgia, which is classic in Birmingham as well as through out the state, l sat with rapt attention and applauded it lustily. It was too much for him, and, stopping, he said: Its mighty good of you doctor?" Not at all.' l replied Its just an evidence that I am a converted man, for it takes genuine Christian to say amen to chestnut" even when opened by dear