Created as a penny paper in 1836,the Public Ledger had long had a reputation as a conservative newspaper with a devoted readership that was“all quality.”Curtis created a companion afternoon paper for the Ledger in 1914,sparing no expense with either,and often operating at a loss in a city newspaper market that was growing in readership but shrinking in the number of competitors.“The Public Ledger Report,”Vol.B,1920;“Daily Newspaper Investigations,”PI,July 6,1904,pp.1-7.A reprint of the article can be found in John M.Hein,ed.,“Notes and References Relating to the History of Philadelphia Newspapers,”(Philadelphia:Free Library,1937);Edward W.Bok,A Man From Maine(New York:Charles Scribner's Sons,1923),pp.197-212;Oswald Garrison Villard,The Disappearing Daily(New York:Books for Libraries Press,1969;reprint of 1946 edition),pp.218-228;Elwyn B.Robinson,“The Public Ledger:An Independent Newspaper,”Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 64(January 1940),pp.43-55;Kenneth Stewart and John Tebbel,Makers of Modern Journalism(New York:Prentice-Hall,1952),pp.199-216;“Public Ledger Ends Career of 98 Years,”Philadelphia Inquirer,1934,Inquirer clip file,“Public Ledger”;“Curtis's Newspaper Dynasty Grew from Humble Beginning,”Evening Bulletin,Jan.6,1942,inquirer clip file,“Public Ledger”;“Cyrus Curtis in Daily Field,”The Fourth Estate,Jan.4,1913,p.2;“New Daily Paper in Philadelphia,”The Fourth Estate,Sept.12,1914,p.3;“Evening Ledger in Philadelphia,”The Fourth Estate,Sept.19,1914,p.2.
Even as Parlin and his staff formulated a plan for the Ledger newsrooms,though,they grounded their opinions in the workings of advertising,reflecting a shift,which had started in the nineteenth century,toward running newspapers as commercial businesses.The success of the advertising columns depended to a great extent on the success of the editorial columns.If a newspaper couldn't attract readers,it couldn't attract advertisers,and if it didn't have advertisers,it couldn't afford to pay for the editorial product.It seemed probable,Parlin wrote,“that serious losses in advertising or circulation whenever they occur are apt to reflect unsound editorial policies;for,what in the long run is best for one department must be best for all.”He advised the Ledger staff to concentrate on three things:becoming a city booster,improving the accuracy of local news,and avoiding sensationalism.He also urged the two newspapers to follow a unified editorial policy and to be less aggressive in taking on public officials and in taking unpopular stands on controversial issues in editorials and news stories.In other words,he offered the same advice to the newspapers that he would have offered to the manufacturer of consumer goods:Provide a quality product consistently and do so without offending buyers.Journalism was a commodity that could be shaped and packaged just like any other commodity.The trick was to win enough market share to achieve profitability.Parlin urged going after the“right”market,the readers with money-the type of consumers that advertisers most desired.A consistent,conservative and thoughtful editorial policy would do just that,he wrote.“The Public Ledger Report,”Vol.B,pp.308-359.
