Philadelphia Bulletin
Encyclopedia
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin (newspaper)
.
The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper
published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United States
. It was widely known for its slogan: "In Philadelphia, nearly everybody reads The Bulletin."
on April 17, 1847 as Cummings’ Evening Telegraphic Bulletin. It made history with its inaugural edition by publishing the first telegraph report in a U.S. newspaper, a dispatch from the Mexican War. Yet The Bulletin remained last in circulation of Philadelphia's 13 daily newspapers for the remainder of the 19th century.
Cummings lost control of The Bulletin to stockholders in the 1850s. From 1859 until 1895, the paper was edited by Gibson Peacock. Upon Peacock's death, it was bought by businessman William L. McLean.
, one of Philadelphia's early radio stations. In 1946, it acquired a construction permit for Philadelphia's third television station.
However, later in 1946 the Bulletin bought out its evening competitor, The Philadelphia Record
, and incorporated features of the Record's Sunday edition into the new Sunday Bulletin. By 1947 the Bulletin was the nation's biggest evening daily with 761,000 readers. Along with the Record, it also acquired the rights to buy Philadelphia's third-oldest radio station, WCAU. In a complex deal, the Bulletin sold off WPEN and WCAU's FM sister, changed WPEN-FM's calls to WCAU-FM, and the calls for its under-construction television station to WCAU-TV. The WCAU stations were sold to CBS
in 1957.
's style, McLean once said: "I think the Bulletin operates on a principle which in the long run is unbeatable. This is that it enters the reader's home as a guest. Therefore, it should behave as a guest, telling the news rather than shouting it." As Time
magazine later noted: "In its news columns, The Bulletin was solid if unspectacular. Local affairs were covered extensively, but politely. Muckraking was frowned upon."
Yet the Bulletin's understated brand of journalism won Pulitzer Prizes in 1964 and 1965. James V. Magee, Albert V. Gaudiosi and Frederick Meyer won the 1964 Pulitzer Prize for Local Investigative Specialized Reporting for their expose of numbers racket operations with police collusion in South Philadelphia
, which resulted in arrests and a cleanup of the police department. J.A. Livingston won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
for his reports on the growth of economic independence among Russia
's Eastern European satellites
and his analysis of their desire for a resumption of trade with the West.
to print a state edition. Reporters attended school and county meetings, but their efforts could not match the combined resources of the smaller suburban dailies.
The Bulletin also faced difficulties that plagued all big-city evening newspapers: Late afternoon traffic made distribution more costly than for morning papers. Also, The Bulletin faced greater competition from television evening newscasts.
The Bulletin's biggest problem, however, may have been the morning Philadelphia Inquirer
. The Inquirer was on the verge of extinction until Eugene L. Roberts Jr. became executive editor in 1972. Under Roberts, The Inquirer won six consecutive Pulitzer Prize
s and gained national reputation for quality journalism. The Inquirer grabbed the circulation lead in 1980. By 1982, The Inquirer’s was receiving 60 percent of the city’s newspaper advertising revenue compared to The Bulletin's 24 percent share. The Bulletin launched a morning edition in 1978, but by then the momentum had shifted decisively.
of Jacksonville, finally put it up for sale. The Bulletin continued publishing while speaking with prospective buyers. City residents organized a “Save Our Bulletin” campaign. On January 18, 1982, 300 loyal supporters sporting S.O.B. buttons held a candlelight vigil in front of the paper's offices in subfreezing weather. Philadelphia Mayor William Green
offered tax breaks and low-interest loans to help finance a purchase.
With no prospective buyers, Charter attempted to give the newspaper away. No publisher, however, would assume the paper's $29.5 million in promissory notes and $12 million in severance costs
to the paper's 1,943 employees. Four groups of buyers did come forward, but each found the newspaper's prospects too discouraging.
After losing $21.5 million in 1981, The Bulletin was dropping nearly $3 million per month when it published its final edition on January 29, 1982. Said Charter Communications President J.P. Smith Jr.: "In the final analysis, the paper was unable to generate the circulation and additional advertising revenues ... it needed to survive."
The headline of the final edition read "Goodbye: After 134 years, a Philadelphia voice is silent" and the paper’s slogan was changed to "Nearly Everybody Read The Bulletin" (emphasis added). A front-page message to readers appeared below the fold in which Publisher N.S. (“Buddy”) Hayden stated: "It’s over. And there’s very little left to say, except goodbye."
The Bulletin's internal newsclipping files (approximately 500,000 pieces), card indexes, and photographs (ca. 3 million) are now held in the Temple University
Libraries.
. On June 1, 2009, the paper suspended print publication, but continued publishing stories on its website. By early 2011, the website was offline as well.
The Bulletin (newspaper)
The Bulletin was a newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper, which until 2009 was a daily, was founded in 2004 as a modern iteration of the Philadelphia Bulletin, originally founded in 1847....
.
The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was widely known for its slogan: "In Philadelphia, nearly everybody reads The Bulletin."
1847 to 1895
The Bulletin was first published by Alexander CummingsAlexander Cummings (territorial governor)
Alexander Cummings was the third Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1865–1867, serving as a member of the Republican Party.Alexander Cummings was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1810...
on April 17, 1847 as Cummings’ Evening Telegraphic Bulletin. It made history with its inaugural edition by publishing the first telegraph report in a U.S. newspaper, a dispatch from the Mexican War. Yet The Bulletin remained last in circulation of Philadelphia's 13 daily newspapers for the remainder of the 19th century.
Cummings lost control of The Bulletin to stockholders in the 1850s. From 1859 until 1895, the paper was edited by Gibson Peacock. Upon Peacock's death, it was bought by businessman William L. McLean.
1895 to 1975
When McLean bought the last-place Bulletin in 1895, it sold for 2 cents. McLean cut the price in half and increased coverage of local news. By 1905 the paper was the city's largest. McLean's son Robert took over in 1931. Later in the 1930s, the paper bought WPENWPEN (AM)
WPEN is an AM radio station broadcast on 950 kHz. The station is licensed to Philadelphia and serves that market. WPEN is owned and operated by Greater Media and offers a Sports Talk format. The station is known as "950 ESPN"-The Early Years:...
, one of Philadelphia's early radio stations. In 1946, it acquired a construction permit for Philadelphia's third television station.
However, later in 1946 the Bulletin bought out its evening competitor, The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record was a daily newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1877 until 1947. The Record was founded in 1877 as a one-cent daily newspaper...
, and incorporated features of the Record's Sunday edition into the new Sunday Bulletin. By 1947 the Bulletin was the nation's biggest evening daily with 761,000 readers. Along with the Record, it also acquired the rights to buy Philadelphia's third-oldest radio station, WCAU. In a complex deal, the Bulletin sold off WPEN and WCAU's FM sister, changed WPEN-FM's calls to WCAU-FM, and the calls for its under-construction television station to WCAU-TV. The WCAU stations were sold to CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in 1957.
Journalism style
Describing the BulletinTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine later noted: "In its news columns, The Bulletin was solid if unspectacular. Local affairs were covered extensively, but politely. Muckraking was frowned upon."
Yet the Bulletin
South Philadelphia
South Philadelphia, nicknamed South Philly, is the section of Philadelphia bounded by South Street to the north, the Delaware River to the east and south, and the Schuylkill River to the west.-History:...
, which resulted in arrests and a cleanup of the police department. J.A. Livingston won the 1965 Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting
This Pulitzer Prize has been awarded since 1942 for a distinguished example of reporting on international affairs, including United Nations correspondence. In its first six years , it was called the Pulitzer Prize for Telegraphic Reporting - International...
for his reports on the growth of economic independence among Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
's Eastern European satellites
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
and his analysis of their desire for a resumption of trade with the West.
Decline in circulation
As readers and advertisers moved from the city to the suburbs, The Bulletin attempted to follow. It introduced regional editions for four suburban counties and leased a plant in southern New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
to print a state edition. Reporters attended school and county meetings, but their efforts could not match the combined resources of the smaller suburban dailies.
The Bulletin also faced difficulties that plagued all big-city evening newspapers: Late afternoon traffic made distribution more costly than for morning papers. Also, The Bulletin faced greater competition from television evening newscasts.
The Bulletin
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer is a morning daily newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper was founded by John R. Walker and John Norvell in June 1829 as The Pennsylvania Inquirer and is the third-oldest surviving daily newspaper in the...
. The Inquirer was on the verge of extinction until Eugene L. Roberts Jr. became executive editor in 1972. Under Roberts, The Inquirer won six consecutive Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s and gained national reputation for quality journalism. The Inquirer grabbed the circulation lead in 1980. By 1982, The Inquirer
Final months
In December 1981, the paper’s owners, the Charter CompanyCharter Company
The Charter Company of Jacksonville, Florida was a conglomerate with more than 180 subsidiaries that was in the Fortune 500 for 11 years beginning in 1974 and ranked 61st in 1984 before it sought bankruptcy protection in late 1984 and spiraled into obscurity....
of Jacksonville, finally put it up for sale. The Bulletin continued publishing while speaking with prospective buyers. City residents organized a “Save Our Bulletin” campaign. On January 18, 1982, 300 loyal supporters sporting S.O.B. buttons held a candlelight vigil in front of the paper's offices in subfreezing weather. Philadelphia Mayor William Green
William J. Green, III
William Joseph Green, III is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Green also served as the 94th Mayor of Philadelphia.-Youth:...
offered tax breaks and low-interest loans to help finance a purchase.
With no prospective buyers, Charter attempted to give the newspaper away. No publisher, however, would assume the paper's $29.5 million in promissory notes and $12 million in severance costs
Severance package
A severance package is pay and benefits an employee receives when they leave employment at a company. In addition to the employee's remaining regular pay, it may include some of the following:* An additional payment based on months of service...
to the paper's 1,943 employees. Four groups of buyers did come forward, but each found the newspaper's prospects too discouraging.
After losing $21.5 million in 1981, The Bulletin was dropping nearly $3 million per month when it published its final edition on January 29, 1982. Said Charter Communications President J.P. Smith Jr.: "In the final analysis, the paper was unable to generate the circulation and additional advertising revenues ... it needed to survive."
The headline of the final edition read "Goodbye: After 134 years, a Philadelphia voice is silent" and the paper’s slogan was changed to "Nearly Everybody Read The Bulletin" (emphasis added). A front-page message to readers appeared below the fold in which Publisher N.S. (“Buddy”) Hayden stated: "It’s over. And there’s very little left to say, except goodbye."
The Bulletin
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Libraries.
The Bulletin
In 2004 Philadelphia investment banker Thomas G. Rice bought the Bulletin naming rights from the McLean family. Rice's new newspaper, which began circulating on November 22, 2004, was known as The BulletinThe Bulletin (newspaper)
The Bulletin was a newspaper that serves the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, metropolitan area of the United States. The newspaper, which until 2009 was a daily, was founded in 2004 as a modern iteration of the Philadelphia Bulletin, originally founded in 1847....
. On June 1, 2009, the paper suspended print publication, but continued publishing stories on its website. By early 2011, the website was offline as well.