Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-01-08

since World War ii have bette
white and Negro families. Some
6iPs Of all non.whits u. q. citl.
gems live In the 10 states OF the
traditional South.
Until recently. many white busi.
nesEmsn below the Mason,DixOn
line have been unwilling 20 make
special efforts 10 attract Negro
customers, PrsjudlcSs dating back
10 Reconstruction days are still
strong. and tradesmsn have fear
Cd they'd Allenats their white Gus
toners. That attitude is gradually
changing. according 20 local bank
sra and business leaders,
Potential IL Tremendous"
Law Epps. national sales mana
ger Of radio station wcos. Col
umbia, says. The potential In
tremendous. Until five years ago.
the Negro market In the South
wasn't recognized a. q separate
entity. Radio was the first TO en-
plore the possibilities Several In
dependent stations devote their
programmink and advertising
time 10 Negro listeners, and many
mere stations are starting 20 cash
In tho same way"
Mr. Epps speaks from expert
sncs. wCos has attracted q
steady group Of advertisers TO IT,
''Dr. 1--WE" show. two and ons-hslf
hours daily Of programs aimed ~
Colored listeners. Our advortls-
sra are selling everything from
jswelry 10 furniture" he adds,
J. Bryant GFubbs, manager Of
the Columbia office OF Merrill.
Lynch, Pierce, Fennsr and Bsane.
drew some raised eyebrows at
luncheon meeting Of some fellow
directors Of the oity's Industrial
Service Bureau when he said RE.
Gently. some Negroes have come
into my office for stock market
information. That was unthink.
able In the past"
Dr. H. u, M0ntslth. for 10 years
. prActicing physician and now
head Of the Liberty Savings Bank.
q NeEro-owned and operated en-.
tsrprise. says. the Negro market
has vast possibilities. You'd b.
surprised at the Negro wealth In
Columbia. I've watched tho I'm.
provemsnt In Negro homes In
my work a. . physician"
In Charleston, South Cardinals
second largest city. there are def
mite signs that businessmen are
giving more attention 10 the Ne
gro consumer market, one firm.
Miserendino Motor Co. . Packard
and WHY'S auto dealer. has hired
. Negro salesman. w, r. Saunders
the office manager. says
A shift IN Sentiment
we hired our first Negro sales
man a few weeks ago, 20 reach the
colored trade, The first fifteen
days he was on tho job he sold one
now Packard. ono new WHY'S and
three used cars, In the same per-
Tod a month earlier, our entire
sales staff sold four used cars 10
Negroes.
Until lately, newspapers around
the state rarely published stories
about activities In the Negro com.
munity, In spite Of South Caro-
linA'a heavy non-white population
$685. of the states total but
moro and moro news of Negroes.
other than crime news. In getting
into the states daiilsa Just few
weeks REo. the Charleston News
q Courier ran q by-lined story
written by . Negro correspondent
That may not seem significant
10 people In such cosmopolitan
cities a. New York. Chicago or
san Francisco. but In the heart
Of the South it's Indicative % .
ahift In sentiment. John y. Potts,
Negro educator In Charleston.
calls u "a tremendous concession, I"
Says News and Courier editor
Dan wartng' "ws'vr practically
reached saturNtion circulation IN
Charleston, n wore going to en-.
pand our circulation. were going
90 have TO sell more papers to
Negroes here" Such expansion
would naturally tend 20 bring IN
some more advertising. Mr. War
Ing agrees.
The Negro press IN South
Carolina h beginning to feel the
effects OF competing covSFage
from papers which formerly over
looked q good share OF Negro
news. J. n. MeCray. editor Of the
weekly. Lighthouse a InfOrmsr.
says; I'VE fellows are getting