Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1922-06-21
WE STAND 18TH in U. S.

The Censor is just in receipt of the
American Newspaper Annual and Di-
rectory of 1922, and has compiled some
statistics from the same which may be
of interest to our big family of sub
scribers. A country weekly newspa-
per is a pepper published weekly in a
city of less than 10000 inhabitants
whose news service is of interest to
one town or a group of towns within
a comparatively small area. There are
in the entire United States only sixty
three country weekly newspapers
whose circulations exceed the 5000
mark. There are only fifteen of these
papers whose circulation are larger
than the circulation of the Vernon
County Censor. To stand as the 18th
paper of the United States in point of
circulation is no small honor. We do
not say this boastingly but with a
deep sense of sincere gratitude to the
loyal men and women of Vernon eoun-
ty who by their answering support
have made this distinction possible.
When the present editor took charge
of the Censor two and a half wears
ago. its circulation was 5000. At that
time the Censor was a four-page home
print paper, with four pages printed
in Milwaukee. Since then the paper
has been converted into an eight-page
all home print edition; and every see
ond or bird week this is increased to a
ten page home print, and occasionally
a twelve-page home print. This means
that our readers are getting more
than twice the local matter for their
money than they formerly enjoyed,
and it also means that more than
twice the labor and expense is involv-
ed in turning out this kind of a paper.
yet the price of the Censor has only
been increased % per cent over the
four-page price. The standerd price
of Wisconsin papers is $500 per year
and the average paper is well worth
it. The Censor's price is no more than
$500, even though a large part of
Wisconsin's papers do not publish one
half the local matter, and many of
them not even one-third as much.
This is made possible by quantity pro-
6uction-the Censor's large list.
The point over which we feel most
grateful concerning the Censor's cir
culation is the completeness with
which it covers the local field 1t is
purely a local circulation. An eight
een-mile circle drawn around the city
of Viroqua will include 800 of the Gem
sor's list. As an illustration of how
completely the Censors cover the field,
$50 go into the city of Viroqua, 500
go out on the eight rural routes lead
ing out of Viroqua, 115 go into La
Fargo, 60 into Viola, 65 into West
Prairie, 140 into Readstown, 80 into
Chaseburg, 90 into Genoa, 90 into De-
Soto, 60 into Ferryville, 265 into the
City of Westby, 80 into Victory, 20
into Stoddard This is something for
the advertiser to consider well when
looking for results from his advertis-
ing. The value of advertising is en-
tirely measured by the number Of peo-
pie who read the paper, and the Cen
sor has the lowest advertising rate of
any country weekly paper in the Unit
ed States, circulation considered. We
know of many papers charging the
same rate as the Censor whose circu-
lations are less than one-third. We
know of some whose calculations are
one-fifth that of the Censor vet who
charge within few cents per inch as
much. That the Censor's advertising
rate is far too low we admit, yet this
again is made possible by quantity
production. Just as the merchant or
manufacturer doing large volume
of business is enabled to cut his costs
to the consumer, so the paper of large
circulation and large advertising pat
ronage is enabled TO furnish its sub
scribers an improved news service and
its advertisers lower rate proportion
Iately.
The Censor's subscription list is a
sworn list, and is always open to the
inspection of any advertiser or sub
scriber who may wish TO ascertain for
himself the accuracy of the figures
presented above.