Book Description

The thousands of newspapers that were born on the far western frontier in the nineteenth century contributed to the West's social and political development. Newspapers also played an integral role in the region's economic growth because, whatever else motivated their publishers, newspapers were businesses. The Business of Newspapers on the Western Frontier examines the components of the western newspaper business between 1846 and 1890--circulation, advertising, labor, supplies, and other essentials--to show the kinds of problems frontier publishers faced in establishing and operating newspapers in the West. Starting with market conditions and the kinds of people who met the entrepreneurial challenges those conditions presented, the book moves through sources of income and principal expenditures to present a balance sheet that discusses reasons for the many failures and occasional successes. It shows that success or failure had more to do with business ability than journalistic prowess. In many respects frontier publishers' concerns mirrored those of small-town publishers everywhere, but the great distances and rapidly changing conditions of the West compounded the problems. The Business of Newspapers on the Western Frontier provides a behind-the-scenes look at newspaper operation in these challenging circumstances. In doing so, the book shows real people dealing with real problems and dispels many of the myths that cling to the frontier press.