The Newark Evening News was an American newspaper published in Newark, New Jersey. As New Jersey's largest city, Newark played a major role in New Jersey's journalistic history. At its apex, The News was widely regarded as the newspaper of record in New Jersey.[1] For much of its life it had the largest circulation of any New Jersey newspaper, and in 1963 was the 20th ranked national newspaper by evening circulation numbers.[2][3][4][5] The Newark News has been digitized by the Newark Public Library and Advantage Archives.[6][7]
 | |
| Type | Daily newspaper |
|---|---|
| Format | Broadsheet |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Ceased publication | 1972 |
History
editThe News was founded in 1883 by Wallace Scudder, with the first issue published Sept 1, 1883.[8][2] The grandson of Wallace Scudder, Richard Scudder, worked as the newspaper's publisher from 1952 until 1972.[8]
For years, the paper thrived as a daily and Sunday paper.[9] It had bureaus in Montclair, Elizabeth, Metuchen, Morristown, Plainfield, Kearny, and Belmar.[9] There were also bureaus in the New Jersey State House in Trenton and in Washington, D.C.[9] The paper had had five editorial writers, an editorial cartoonist, a military writer, an aviation writer, and a Sunday magazine.[9]
In 1970, the paper was sold to Media General.[9][10] In February 1971, the newsroom, which had never been organized, voted to go out on strike and walked out in May 1971, which was supported by labor leaders around the state.[11][12][13]
The strike lasted almost a full year — not settling until April 1972.[14] It faced increasing competition from the Newark Star-Ledger, and for its final four months, the daily editions of the Newark Evening News were printed on Star-Ledger presses.[11] That was because the paper's new owners had sold the presses, along with the Sunday News edition, to the Star-Ledger.[11]
The paper folded on August 31, 1972.[11][14]
The former headquarters of the paper in Downtown Newark at 215-217 Market St (or 111 Mulberry) is now a residential condominium.[15][2][16]
Historic research
editSince its demise, the Newark Public Library acquired the paper's records.[17] The Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center at Newark Public Library owns the News's indices and clippings files, as well as a full run of microfilm.[17] They have digitized the paper up through 1971.[18]
Distinguished Newark Evening News alumni
edit- John T. Cunningham, prolific and wide-ranging writer on the history of New Jersey.
- Lloyd M. Felmly, Editor of the Newark Evening News and a friend of public health. There is an award set up in his honor. Lloyd M. Felmly Award: Established in 1976, the annual award is presented to an individual for outstanding contribution in the media to the cause of public health in New Jersey.[19]
- Howard Roger Garis, reporter, who created the Uncle Wiggily character as a News reporter. His Uncle Wiggily books later sold in the millions, and the Wiggily character appeared daily in the News for nearly four decades. He also wrote the first 32 volumes in the Tom Swift, series, written under the pen name Victor Appleton.
- Lilian McNamara (Garis). The first female reporter on the News, she later married fellow News reporter, Howard Garis. She helped launch the Bobbsey Twins series and wrote some of the early volumes.
- George P. Oslin, leading reporter. He later became Public Relations head of Western Union, and in 1933 invented the singing telegram.
- Lute Pease, News editorial cartoonist and winner of the 1949 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning for "Who, Me?"
- Richard Reeves, writer for the News from 1963 to 1965. Later he spent one year at the New York Herald Tribune and then The New York Times as Chief Political Correspondent. His best-selling books included President Kennedy: Profile of Power (1993), and President Nixon: Alone in the White House (2001). He is currently a syndicated columnist and lecturer at the Annenberg School for Communication in Los Angeles.
- Andrew E. Svenson worked for the News from 1932 until 1948. After leaving the newspaper, he joined the Stratemeyer Syndicate, where he became a partner in 1961. Svenson shared the major writing chores with Harriet Adams. Under a variety of pseudonyms, many shared with other authors, Svenson wrote books for the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, and Honey Bunch series.
- Arthur Sylvester headed the News bureau in Washington, D.C.. In 1960, he joined the Kennedy administration as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.[20]
- Cecil Dorrian was one of two accredited female war correspondents during World War I and wrote for the News
References
edit- ^ "Newark Evening News preservation". The Second Century. vol. 9, no. 3. Fall 1998. Newark Public Library.
- ^ a b c Vail, Merit H. Cash (1897). Essex County, N.J., Illustrated. Press of L. J. Hardham.
- ^ Barton, Leslie M. (1927). A Study of All American Markets: Including All Cities and Towns of 1,000 Population Or More in the United States, Arranged by Markets and States. 100,000 Group of American Cities.
- ^ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1953-08-01.
- ^ Rights, United States Commission on Civil (1963). Hearings Before the United States Commission on Civil Rights: Newark, New Jersey, September 11-12, 1962. The Commission.
- ^ "Advantage-Preservaion". newark.historyarchives.online. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Donohue, Brady (2024-05-16). "Spotlight: The Newark Public Library's History Archive". Advantage Archives. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ a b Hevesi, Dennis (2012-11-15). "Richard B. Scudder, Co-Founder of MediaNews Group, Dies at 99". New York Times. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ a b c d e Sachsman, David B. (2017-07-05). The Press and the Suburbs: The Daily Newspapers of New Jersey. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-351-47647-8.
- ^ Jaker, Bill; Sulek, Frank; Kanze, Peter (2015-05-07). The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921–1996. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0878-5.
- ^ a b c d "The Once Great Newark Evening News: A Remembrance & Obituary". newarkmemories.com. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ Ronald Sullivan (1971-08-06). "Strike at Evening News Backed By Labor Leaders in Newark". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ Jr, Hobart Taylor (1971-05-27). "Evening News of Newark Shut In Strike by Newspaper Guild". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ a b Ronald Sullivan (1972-08-30). "Newark News Shuts Tomorrow After 88 Years of Publication". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ "Relics of Industry and Commerce Reborn as Gracious Homes".
- ^ "Renaissance Towers Condos Newark New Jersey". NJ Condos.net. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- ^ a b "Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center". Newark Public Library. Retrieved 2022-01-07.
- ^ "Advantage-Preservaion". newark.historyarchives.online. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
- ^ "NJ Spotlight News Correspondents Receive Lloyd M. Felmly Award for Broadcast". The WNET Group. April 24, 2023.
- ^ "Arthur Sylvester, 78". Washington Post. 2023-12-22. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
- Mackin, Tom (August 30, 1981). "The Newark News: In Memoriam". The New York Times.