Penny Press Newspaper PPT

PPT is based on Penny Press - USA

1. Penny Press Presentation By:

2. Introduction The Penny Press  was the term used to describe the revolutionary business tactic of producing newspapers which sold for one cent. N ew era began for American journalism.

3. About the Founder The Penny Press is generally considered to have started in 1833, when Benjamin H. Day founded The Sun, a New York City newspaper. The Sun was the first popular penny paper. Day did not have much of a background in journalism ,‘ The Sun’ had fairly loose journalistic standards.

4. The Paper’s Motto The paper's motto, printed at the top of every front page was: “It Shines for All” Also indicates that he intended to reach a wider audience not limited to any particular group .

5. Mass Production Penny press  newspapers were cheap, tabloid-style newspapers mass-produced in the United States from the 1830s onwards . Mass production of inexpensive newspapers became possible following the shift from hand-crafted to steam-powered printing .

6. Why it became popular It became popular with the American public because while other papers were priced around 6 cents, they were able to sell their paper for just a penny (1 cent). The low price made newspapers and the news available to even middle and lower-class citizens for the first time. Benjamin Day’s analysis touched upon a class divide in society . Labourers were able to purchase a paper and read the news. As more people began buying papers throughout the country, news and journalism became more important overall . Many working class people were literate, but were not newspaper customers simply because no one had published a newspaper targeted to them.

7. Newspapers also began paying more attention to the public it served. They were quick to realize that the same information and news that interested the six cent public, did not interest the penny public. Newspapers used information from police stations, criminal courts and divorce courts to fill their paper and make it more appealing to their new public . By launching The Sun, Day was taking a gamble. But it proved successful.

8. Besides making the newspaper very affordable, Day instituted another innovation, the newsboy. By hiring boys to hawk copies on street corners, The Sun was both affordable and readily available. People wouldn’t even have to step into a shop to buy it. In 1834 it published the notorious “Moon Hoax,” in which the newspaper claimed scientists had found life on the moon. The story was outrageous and proven to be utterly false. But instead of the ridiculous stunt discrediting The Sun, the reading public found it entertaining. The Sun became even more popular.

9. How were they able to sell at a lower price The heavy dependence on advertising as a major source of revenue was a main reason that the Penny Press was able to sell papers for a lower price than anyone else. While other papers relied heavily on subscriptions and daily sales. The price of paper and materials used to produce the newspapers also decreased making the production of the newspaper itself less expensive.

10. Difficlties faced by Benjamin Day He had nearly gone broke after losing much of his business during a local financial panic caused by the cholera epidemic of 1832.

11. How it helped change the way newspapers operate TODAY… The changes made to the newspaper during the Penny Press era set a precedent for the way newspapers operate today. Newspapers rely heavily on advertising as a main source of income and that is also a main reason they are still being offered at relatively low prices today. Newspapers also pay more attention to their surrounding communities and report of important information more diligently and objectively. Newspapers changed their coverage when they no longer relied so dependently on subscriptions or daily sales to make a profit.

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