PAGE TWO
HERALD AND NEWS. KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON
SUNDAY, JANUARY 29, 1 95fl
Early Klamath News Started As 1923 Tabloid
(Editor's Note: The following
story was copied from the "His
torical Review of Journalism in
the Klamath Country," a special
supplement to the Herald and News
edition of January 30, 1937. The
utory, along with all the others In
the 10 page supplement, was writ
ten by Joe Pigney, then city editor
of the Herald and News and now
with the Associated Press in San
Francisco. More of these stories
will be carried at a future date.
The Klamath News, the youngest
of Klamath county s two daily
newspapers, has always been like
Jopsy, who "Just grew."
Despite the ill omens attending
the date, the Klamath News said
good morning to the world on
chilly November 13 in 1923. The
paper, dedicated to the rural rath
er than the city population of Klanv
ath county, is now as much an in
stitution in this section .of Oregon
as tqe veteran Evening Herald
Headed by Nate Otter be hi, well-
loved dean of the Klamath news
paper and printing industry, the
young News cried lustily for atten
tion thirteen years ago and won It,
Tli ink back to the Klamath Falls
of 1923, with a population of less
thnn 6000 inhabitants, this largest
city in southern Oregon was strid
ing through an era of expansion,
of progiess and of prosperity. In
fihort, the Klamath Falls boom had
ftri-Jved, and there was room for
another newspaper.
Modest at the start, the News
greeted the world but twice each
week.
"To serve. To give all sides a
hearing. To cater to no organiza
tion or clique. To be independent."
That was the policy ideal in the
mind of Nate Otterbein and his two
associates, Walter Stronach and F.
C. Nickle.' To this day the spirit of
those three founders has been pre
served in the columns of the Klam
ath News. Although ever conserva
tive in appearance, the News has
never hesitated to speak out in its
devotion to the best interests of
Klamath county and Oregon.
The Idea of a second newspaper
In Klamath Falls originated seven
weeks before the first publication
dote of the News. Then there was
a rush to assemble a modern print
ing plant on short notice.
The paper began its life in the
little white. California-front build
ing on South Fifth street the
frame structure still stands there
across the street from the Odd Fel
lows building where the Klamath
News and Evening Herald Joined
hands some years later under a
single management. The tiny shack
where the News- was pioneered is
now an office of the state highway
commission.
Nate Otterbein, who has been as
sociated with more than one suc
cessful newspaper enterprise in
Klamath Falls and who still is in
the harness as a linotype operator,
owned a Model 14 Mergenthaler
linotype. That machine formed the
mechanical basis for the Klamath
News. To it was added a Ludlow
typograph for display .faces. The
machine, which was in operation
until recently in the backshop of
the Herald-News, was the only one
in Oregon east of the Cascade
mountains. It guaranteed readers
of the News brand new, sharp, and
clear type every day of publication.
The news was printed on a Bab
cock press capable of turning out
2600 copies an hour.
The paper had a first-day circu
lation of 500 paid subscribers. That
was the start and low point In its
career, for today the same paper
enjoys a circulation of many times
that number.
Those first editions of the Klam
ath News reflected an idea gaining
wide attention in American Jour
nalism. It was the tabloid or five
column width. The off-standard site
had made a splurge In the east
where it is still used by some of
the country's largest papers. Back
in the early 1920 s, Cornelius Van
derbilt, a member of the socially
and financially prominent eastern
family, developed amibitton along
newspaper lines. He hooked his
ladder to a far-off star, looked un
certainly into the future and saw
himself as another William Ran
dolph Hearst. Vanderbilt founded
the old Illustrated News at Los
Angeles and the Herald at Ban
Francisco. Both were tabloids. The
thought was that the advertiser
could ret better display, the news
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UP THESE STEPS in the Odd Fellows building went the reporters
for the Herald and News in the days when the paper was
located there. The steps are a familiar sight to all now leading
down to the basement under Dick Reader's store on the corner
of Fifth and Main. The News first moved into the building in
1925. It was then in the hands of Nate Otterbein, Byron Hurd
and Walter Stronach. In 1927 the News was purchased by
Bruce Dennis, who also purchased the Herald. The two papers
were combined in the basement quarters that year and stayed
there until late 1936 when they were moved to their present
location.
could be presented more attrac
tively and the reader would find
more convenience In handling the
smaller pase. Vanderbilt and his
high-priced executives, now-
ever, had a short life in Journal
Ism and the tabloid vanished with
them as a major feature of Pacific
coast Journalism.
The exclusive night lease of the
big United Press organization ex
tending north, south, east and west
to all corners of the globe still
serves the News.
The News reflected the spirit of
Its community. In the bustling days
of the middle 1920's, the paper oc
casionally found it necessary to
wade into the thick of things and
d e m a n d a periodical campaign
against all manner of vice.
The paper was faithful In record
ing the milestones of Klamnth
Falls. It told of those boom days
when the city was building at the
rate of many thousands of dollars
worth of permits each day. Of the
carloads of lumber . and produce
rolling out every day to the major
markets. Of Crater Lake, which on
August 21, 1924. had the then fabu
lous total of 49.000 visitors for the
season. Nothing was too small nor
too difficult for the News to col
lect, edit and publish if It was for
the good of the region or tf It was
nn honest reflection of the life of
the times.
Feeling pretty strong on Its feet,
the News Issued the first special
edition of its career on Novem
ber S, 1924, to inform its readers
of the landslide victory scored by
Calvin Coolidge and his running
mate, Charles Dawes, at the gener
al presidential elections.
As though forerunner of greater
things to come, the News did a sud
den about face on Its tabloid policy
when the carrier boys started on
their routes the dawn of Novem
ber 11, 1924. The paper Jumped to
a seven-column, full-page size with
the front page announcement that
"Yes, this is the Klamath News!"
On November 13, 1924, Just one
year after the first publication, this
momentous announcements was
made:
"The News is now a dally. A
people's morning dally for Klamath
Falls and Klamath county."
During these days of progress,
there was considerable shifting in
personnel. Otterbein and Stronach
still remained as principal stock
holders. The incorporation records
of November 10, 1924, listed the
names of John W. Shuler, W. A.
Johnson and W. C. McCulloch as
directors. Five days later they re
signed. At tills time Byron H. Hurd
became an Important stockholder.
Nickle, the original city editor.
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In making- the public announce
ment of incorporation on novcm'
ber 18. L. W. Rood, "formerly edi
tor of a local evening paper, was
lifted in the masthead as editor,
..7, i n tj gtavonenn "An exner-
auu . J. r .
ienced Ban Francisco man," !
business manager.
A a dallv. the News was In di
rect competition with the Evening
Herald. The fight lor circuiauou
had to be met and on Sunday,
November 23, the News issued its
first colored comic supplement.
Early readers of the paper will re
call the amusing antics of Slum
Jim and the Force, Terry and
Tack, Doings of the Van Loons and
the Kelly Kids.
The step brought results. A week
later the publishers announced a
paid circulation of 1501 which rep
resented a gain of 450 subscribers
within the week.
On December 3, the News had
Its biggest publishing day, sending
out 3000 issues. Many of the papers
were complimentary issues as in
ducements to prospective subscribers.
Since entering the daily field, the
News had limited Itself to four and
six pages as a sort of trial balloon.
But at the start of the year a
$10,000 linotype was added to the
equipment and the paper estab
lished a minimum of eight pages
each day. The service in place of
the bulletin briefs.
The little white building was no
longer capable of housing the rap
idly growing daily. Shortly after
'Jhe turn of 1925 the editorial rooms
were moved to 105 Melhase build
ing with the plant and business
office continuing at the original lo
cation. A week later the editorial
rooms were moved back to 119
South Fifth street while the plant
was transierred to the basement of
the Odd Fellows building. It was
inconvenient to have the various
departments separated and soon
the entire establishment was
moved across the street.
Editor Rood resigned on Feb
ruary 1, 1925, to follow other work
in San Francisco, leaving Otter
bein, stronach and Stevenson - at
the helm with Hurd as vice oresi-
dent but not taking an active part
in me daily routine.
By this time the paper was fullv
established and boasted a paid
circulation of 2800.
In May of 1925 J. W. McDonald.
now a prominent San Francisco
sports writer and president of the
San Francisco press club, became
editor with Walter West as busi
ness manager. McDonald left the
employ of the News in October of
the same year and West departed
in December.
Stevenson gave up his Interests
in the News in 1928 to become di
rector of a tourist bureau at the
Junction of the Pacific and Green
Springs highways. Edwin Rose
served for a time as managing edi
tor and James Buchanan as busi
ness manager.
ne ilrst change from the origi
nal ownership of the Klamath
News was announced on April 21:
1927, when Otterbein, Hurd and
Stronach sold their Interests to
Bruce Dennis of the Inland Pub
lishing company. At the same time
Dennis purchased the Evening Her-
aid from Murray and consolidated
the two papers in a single plant in
the basement of the Odd Fellow
building.
Both papers were to be kept on
a competitive basis and it was the
hope of the new owner to preserve
the identity of each.
Otterbein stayed on with the
News for some time as city editor
and Stronach was employed in the
mechanical department. Lynn Zim
merman will be remembered aa
the business manager.
Some of the paper's original con
servatism was lost under the Den
nis ownership. That the boom days
were somewhat tempered can be
seen in the Dennis slogan of
"Throw away your hammer get
out your horn."
In 1928 Otterbein resigned aa
city editor and was succeeded by
Burt Holloway who later went into
the newspaper business at Boston,
Mass.
Howard Winnard, an outstanding
Journalism student at the Univer
sity of Oregon and a promising
fiction writer, worked as city editor
until his death on August 11, 1928.
The young man was accidentally
killed on a forest road about 60
miles north of Klamath Falls while
he was driving to the Pelican Bay
camp to gather material for the
Lumberlogue, a weekly Klamath
News feature.
Robert Galloway is also well-re
membered in Klamath Falls as
city editor of the News under
Bruce Dennis.
Bruce Dennis continued as Dub-
lisher until June of five years ago
when the properties of both Hie
Evening Herald and the Klamath
News were purchased by interests
headed by Frank Jenkins, the pres
ent editor and publisher.
When the Klamath News became
a daily paper on November 13.
1924. it wrote with pride: "We
have reasons to be proud of the
accomplishment, for it is truly a
decision of the people."
Cover Picture
The cover of this Herotd
and Newt Fifty Years of Pro
gress Tabloid was taken by
staff photographer Don Ket
tfer on the Westside Highway
after one of the first snows
lent faff.
FOURTEEN KILLED
NARA, lapan W Fourteen Jap
anese burned to death and four
were injured today in a fire that
destroyed an apartment building
and three brothers, police reported.
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