Exhibitors Herald (1927)

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December 31, 1927 EXHIBITORS HERALD 17 Exhibitors Herald Moving Picture World Founded in 1915 by Martin J. Quigley EXHIBITORS HERALD became the acknowledged leader in the national motion picture business paper field three years ago and has steadily entrenched itself in this posh tion since that date. Founding the paper in 1915, Martin J. Quigley announced his publication would not expect support from reader or advem tiser unless it justified its position by giving the field a service not rendered by any existing paper. Three years were devoted to studying the needs of the field by personal investigation, field surveys and interviewing of hum dreds of people in all branches of the business. For his important executive posts, Mr. Quigley searched both the business paper and newspaper field. His organisation was completed in 1919 and not a change has been made in an important executive posh tion since. There have been additions and promotions as the publication grew * * * In 1920, the entire industry realised that the Herald had made good its promise. Blatant publicity, which had throttled the trade press previously, was eliminated from its pages. New service departments appeared. A news service covering every phase of the business had been built up. Circulation leaped forward. Ad' vertisers realised it was impossible to cover the field without placing the Herald in their budget plans. The word “Independent” upon the cover took on a definite meaning when this new publication boldly threw aside precedent in creating a new type of business paper for the field, and vigor' ously fought distributor and exhibitor organisations alike when it felt their policies were not in accord with the best interests of the business. * * * In its circulation work, it established a new precedent. To every city, village and hamlet in the United States, it sent rep' resentatives — not just to sell subscriptions, but to explain to each theatre owner just what value the paper could be to him and, at the same time, find out from him what service he needed that the paper did not give him. More than $100,000 has been ex' pended in this type of work. Although a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations, no effort was made to force an imposing figure on its circulation book for the particular period of the audits. Appreciation of the field of the soundness of this policy is reflected in the fact that the Herald, although it has never shown the largest A. B. C. figure, has led the field in prestige and total business carried for three years. * * * The soundness of its field surveys is shown in the outstanding success of its “Better Theatres” section — an idea evolved by the Herald organisation to give the theatre owner practical help in the building, equipping and operating of his theatre and to give the manufacturer of equipment a medium through which he could reach the theatre owner effectively and economically. “Better Theatres” has not only brought into the field scores of new ad' vertisers, but has revolutionised the handling of this problem in the entire business press. In merging with “Moving Picture World,” it attains January 1, 1928, its goal of complete world coverage, and an augmented service hitherto unavailable to advertisers in the motion picture field. Founded in 1907 by J. P. Chalmers MOVING PICTURE WORLD is the pioneer paper in the motion picture business paper field and for the past four years has had the largest circulation in that field. Founded in 1907, it offered the theatre owner the first publica' tion treating with his problems and gave the distributor and equipment manufacturer the first opportunity to advertise to the theatre owner. The publication was two years old when the Motion Picture Patents Company was formed and launched its own paper, the Index, as the official organ of the trust. Two years later, the World had the satisfaction of buying the “Index” and incorporat' ing its service in its pages. * * * When the Patents Company was at the height of its strength, the World incurred its displeasure by refusing to close its cob umns to the advertising of Carl Laemmle, an independent producer who had the courage and resources to put up a successful fight. It was the first great crisis in the history of the paper. The Patents Company withdrew its advertising and with it went all of the advertising of the 10 subsidiary companies in the trust. It was a costly stroke of independence on the part of the World but it gave the publication a place in the heart of the American theatre owner which it never lost. When the Patents Company lost its tilt with Laemmle, the World became the great outstanding paper of its day and at this time brought to its staff three great names in motion picture journalism, James L. Hoff, James McQuade and Epes W. Sargent. Another important step in the history of the World was its foresight in 1917 which caused it to send on a tour of United States and Canada its projection expert, F. H. Richardson. At that time, projection was the most important problem facing the American theatre. The tour required five months and 19,000 miles were traveled. Mr. Richardson addressed one hundred and forty-one gatherings of theatre owners and projectionists. * * * The trip established the World more strongly than ever in the favor of the theatre owner. It was the first really extended effort in the interest of better projection ever put forth and it still stands today as one of the outstanding pieces of aggressive motion pk' ture business journalism. As competition in the business journalism became more keen, the World was relegated temporarily to second position in total circulation but aggressively fought its way back to the top again and successfully held it. Its circulation in the foreign field has never been approached by any competitor. One of the familiar sayings in the trade has been that the “sun never sets upon readers of Moving Picture World.” In New England, the Atlantic States and the Southern States, it has always maintained a numerical supremacy and in Canada the World has been the "'first paper.” In merging with Exhibitors Herald, it attains January 1, 1928, the goal which has constantly been the aim of the Chalmers organiz,ation since the untimely death of J. P. Chalmers in 1912 — an assurance that the ideals, prestige and traditions of the World will be preserved permanently in the outstanding paper in the field.