Page:Oregon Exchanges volume 5.pdf/43

OREGON EXCHANGES A TWICE-A-WEEK AND BUSINESS

BY H. L. S'. CLAIR, Editor Gresham Outlook

[Mr. St. Clair made a distinct impression at the Fourth Annual Newspaper Conference with his Paper on the advantages of a twice-a-week for towns in which an weekly appears to be we slow. In answer to inquirig by Mr. Koen of Dallas, Mr. St. Clair explained that although, under an annchronism of the postal service a twice-a-week newspaper will not be delivered by mail within the city limits, he would hire a carrier and have the paper delivered to the people in the town, as they would appreciate the carrier service more than they would getting their papers through the mail. It costs a little more, but they appreciate it."]

WHETHER a semi-weekly newspaper is an advantage over a weekly depends principally on

them arc—is to be compared rather with the statesman, the educator or the author. Not seeking prefernient. or distinction,

three thin;_'s—the publisher, the field, the

or plaudits of men, he is fulfilling a high

equipment. Much depends upon the publisher—his

calling, working out an ideal, leaving the

ideals and breadth of vision. It requires a high conception of the objects and pur poses of a newspaper, a clear insight into

minds of old and young, often through

the needs and possibilities of a given locality, to establish a standard for a publication which will be creditable and

at the same time can be made to yield a profit. Back of every newspaper which is a

credit to the community in which it is published, is an editor who is devoted to his work. Combined in the same indi vidual or associated with him must be a publisher and business manager with his upper story full of business sense. It

takes 100 per cent business sense to make 100-cent dollars for the small news

paper. The publisher must be a genius, but not the kind you have heard of, who can see a dollar a long way off but is blind to a penny held before his eyes. Momz THAN A GAME You sometimes hear a publisher say

he is in the newspaper game.

impress of his clear thinking upon the out the life of a generation. Like the minister and the teacher, the editor carrivs on his work not merely for

the money, for he is often as poorly paid as either of the former. He has a larger audience than the minister and probably has more influence than the teacher in

building up loyalty and good citizenship among all classes. But the editor is usually also pub lisher and as such is a business man, and on the success of his newspaper in a business way depends the scope and permanency of his influence as an educator, a champion of right, an opposer of wrongs. There are more successful editors than there are publishers. If it were not so there would be more twice-a-week papers in the state. C0uno DRIVE WEEKLY OUT

The state

ment suggests a superficial view of one

Much depends upon the field a paper

of the most attractive and influential

is intended to cover.

professions of the day.

The attitude is

calities where a weekly, even, is too fast.

unworthy a successor of the long line of conscientious and high-minded men who have dignified the newspaper fraternity

The latest census report discloses in

in the past. . . . The newspaper man who is conscien

tious and a hard worker—and most of

[81

There may be lo

Oregon a surprising number of cities, they are classed as such, with a few dozen to a few hundred inhabitants, and some

of them are called upon to support a newspaper.