We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
332 Building Theatre Patronage
Because only small newspaper space was then purchased, any dispute about the rate was not worth-while. Besides, the theatre was the only advertiser then asking for so-called "news stories." If these news stories were carried by the newspaper, it was even harder to object against the increased rate because the increase was supposed to cover additional press work.
In those days there was no radio and no automobile. There were no paid press agents seeking free publicity for hotels, department stores, railroads, lumber, cement, steamship lines, fire and life insurance, real estate, etc.
The theatre, through its traveling road-show advertiser, was the only institution regularly asking editorial favors. It could not very well object to double rates in return for a few columns of free editorial mention, even though it could be argued that the subject matter of these columns was live news and an instance of newspaper reader service. It was not worth objecting to, because the traveling manager was there to-day and gone to-morrow.
To-day.
To-day things are different. Instead of one-half inch, single-column advertisements, the motion picture theatres not only purchase large daily space, but their practice has carried the legitimate theatres into using larger space than they were accustomed to use. The motion picture theatre, however, is penalized by tradition.
It is argued that the exorbitant rate is justified by so-called "amusement news" carried on other pages of the newspaper. This news is either a reader service or it is not. If it is a reader service it should be supplied by the newspaper as any other news is supplied. If it is not a reader service, then the newspaper which agrees to print as news, material what is not news and which takes in return for this deception the dollars of some advertiser, does not observe the traditionally estimable ethics of journalism.
No reputable editor would admit that he was filling his columns with material under the guise of news which was really paid-for advertising, any more than he would admit