Democratic Sentinel, Volume 1, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 September 1877 — Deadheading on Newspapers. [ARTICLE]

Deadheading on Newspapers.

The Rome Sentinel rises to explain, and its language is plain, and is as follows : “There is no other business on which the public levies such heavy contributions as on the newspaper-publishing business. An organization is getting up some kind of festivities, for example. It pays for the use of grounds, pays for music, pays for refreshments, gets $2 worth of tickets and $4 worth of bills printed either at a newspaper office or somewhere else, and then expects free advertising from the paper to an extent actually worth from $2 or $3 to $lO. The mere announcement of a picnic, sociable,. or festival is an advertisement, and ought to be paid for. The result is that a generous proportion of the profits of nearly all entertainments of this kind is money which rightfully belongs to newspaper publishers. Then, after the thing is over, the managers will come in with a long string of resolutions, with which to rob the publisher of more valuable space. The truth is that space in a newspaper represents money. It is worth money to the publisher. There is no more reason why he should give it away than why a merchant should give away his goods. Part of the space of the paper is sold to business men for advertising purposes, the rest of the space is devoted to interesting reading matter. On the last the publisher depends for the attractions which shall sell his paper. Either space repr- sents cash to him. Yet the business man who buys space to the amount of $2 often buys a gratuity of local space to the amount of $1 or $2, or even more. The managers of festivals, picnics, or other home entertainments may not buy 1 cent’s worth of space, but all the same expect the free gift of several dollars’ worth of space. The minister, who never advertises, may want space to the amount of $1 or $2 weekly, for the advertisement of ‘homing sermons. The politician, even though he forgets to keep his subscription paid up, demands column after column of valuable space free, and rarely so much as says thank you for it. For all this the newspaper man, taxed beyond any other business man, enjoys the high distinction of being regarded as a deadhead by two-thirds of bis neighbors. ”