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Newspapers--slow decline!

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Harold

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In 1948--I was 13 years old, and had 3 paper routes a day--(Joplin Mo--south of Kansas City) Met the "Trailways Bus" at the bus station at 5:30 am-- wherein the driver unloaded a bundle of Kansas City Times--several other newsboys, and I would count out what we needed, load up our carrier bag on the handle
bars and head off--I had maybe 35/40 subscriber on my route,--covering maybe 6 or 7 blocks--EVERY house took a newspaper, maybe 2 (duplex).
Then had breakfast--and went to school,

After school, went to the distributing "dock" of the Joplin Herald (I think!)--loaded up 35 or 40 papers--delivered on a new route--(some overlap!)>
Same thing--every house took the Joplin paper--some also took the Kansas City paper also--

After dinner, went to the bus station about 7 pm--and bundled up the Kansas Star for my 3rd route of the day--(some overlap--some
houses took all 3 papers)---35 or 40 papers---then home for school work--I learned a good (shall we say)-work ethic!

My parents were of "limited means'--A couple of my friends mom's had to take in washing to put food on the table--this was a
generation that came out of the depression--(The Grapes of Wrath) novel and movie---Henry Fonda--
 
As a "boomer" ( first orbit in 1950) my youth was spent in a rural area of western Pennsylvania, didn't have a paper route. My early experience with newspapers was a man delivering the local small town's paper from a car. By age 17 I was hanging out in the photo department of that local rag, first given photo assignments to shoot community events, later getting to cover more "newsworthy" things. That publication is long gone, as are many others. Swallowed up in the '70's by conglomerates. Eventually even the major "big city" papers, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and the Pittsburgh Press merged. Now the PG is only in print a few times a week. I feel privileged to have had that early experience as a news photog, it gave me the discipline to meet deadlines, insight into human nature and an early maturity most of my peers were missing. Not to mention an early independence.
 
Believe me, I feel so lucky to have grown up in the 1950s, with relatively independent newspapers in our Dallas/Fort Worth area. Dallas Times Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Press, etc.

Very sad to see the young folks gleaning their "news" from their personalized newsfeeds these days. Recently heard: "OMG - bleach will stop virus infections! Science proves the earth is flat! Forward this to everyone in your contact list!"

yeesh

To me, a journalist had grey hair, wrinkled face, loose necktie or button-up blouse, experience in the real world - and cared about the veracity of what he/she wrote.

sigh.
 
Last edited:
NutmegCT said:
To me, a journalist had grey hair, wrinkled face, loose necktie or button-up blouse, experience in the real world - and cared about the veracity of what he/she wrote.

sigh.
Click to expand...

When newsrooms were smoke filled and exhilarating.
 
NutmegCT said:
To me, a journalist had grey hair, wrinkled face, loose necktie or button-up blouse, experience in the real world - and cared about the veracity of what he/she wrote.

sigh.
Click to expand...
Bob and Carl didn't have grey hair when they were snagging a president. They do now and are still at it.
 
With us, we canceled the weekly paper and only got the Sunday paper, at the time I think the Sunday paper weighed 5 pounds! :thumbsup2: I used to like the front page section and comics. (y)
 
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