San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-30
NEWSPAPER MORTALITY


Herald with the New York Tribune
marks an important page in American
Journalism. II means a great many
things as affecting newspaper-making
the world over. The outstanding fact
is that too many newspapers were striv-
ing to make Roadway in the metropolis,
and that more than fifty per cent has
been compelled to drop out Of the morn
ing newspaper field. Only four regular
morning newspapers survive in the met
ropolitan district, with population esti-
mated at more than five million people,
namely, The Times, Tribune, World and
American. The dead morning news
papers are the Herald, Sun, Press, Com
mercial Advertiser and Recorder, five in
all. There has, likewise, been NOR
tally among the evening papers-the
New York Globe and New York Mail
having been consolidated with the New
York Evening Sun and New York Even
ing Telegram, respectively.
From the early days of newspaper
making, when all that was needed was
a font of type and small handpress,
the modern daily newspaper has grown
into a large manufacturing plant, the
magnitude of which few readers can have
only a slight conception. 1t embraces
giant presses, each one OF which repre-
sents large capital outlay, intricate type
casting and stereotyping devices, and a
continuous stream of Geographic news
over leased wires, connecting all the large
cities Of the country. The first leased
wire to handle the. Associated Press
news service was set up between New
York and Chicago forty years ago. Only
a few Of the daily newspapers could af-
ford to maintain such an elaborate news
service. Today, the San Antonio Light
alone, close to the southermost point or
the map of the United States, has three
leased wires reaching through to New
York City, to carry all the domestic and
cable news of the world, together with the
complete market reports. The rapid hand
ling of the days news has resulted II
placing the afternoon papers of the coun
try in first position, and morning news
papers, which were in the dominant posi-
ton forty years ago, are rapidly diminish
Ig in number and influence. Advertiser
long since learned, that the morning
newspaper had been displaced by tn
complete evening newspaper for hom
reading, and that advertising in tn
evening paper brings four to five time
the return possible in the morning news
paper. The morning paper appears whel
all civilized mankind is bucklng on it
armor for the days work. There is n
time for reading. either in the home 0
out Of the home. The evening is tn
only period in the six working days 70
reading relaxation and this is the tim
of the evening newspapers advent, cris
from the press. The other disadvantag
is that the morning paper is day be
hind in the news. News develops in tn
daylight hours, when men and wome
are awake. The news facilities are no,
so complete and alert that four-fiftll
of the worlds happenings are transmitte
and printed on the day of happening b
the well-conducted evening newspape
The significance of the latest Ne,
York newspaper merger, therefore,
contained in the high-mounting an
killing overhead costs for the moder
American newspaper, together with le
sening patronage for the morning new,
paper New York has only four mori
mig newspapers out of a former tot;
Of nine regular publications. apart froi
some specialized commercial newspaper