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Pending Inq. Bldg. Sale Evokes Memories By: Joe Ball, Publisher

Personal Thoughts…An Open Diary

Pending Inq. Bldg. Sale Evokes Memories

By: Joe Ball

Memories…

It’s a time, a personal time, to recollect memories of the building at 400 N. Broad st., home of The Philadelphia Inquirer, and in recent years, also home of the Daily News. The memories are being written now, as recent news reports reveal that the 400 N. Broad st. building has been listed for sale by the newspapers owners. The most formative seven years of my life occurred at 400 N. Broad. From the age of 17, through 24, I worked there- -enjoying every single day. I learned. And learned. And LEARNED! I gained a career- -In journalism and publishing. I learned about people. All kinds of people. To this day, I feel I received the equivalent of a college education. Plus!

My mentors were staffers in the News Room, Advertising, Promotion, Composing Room, Pressroom, Circulation, and even the Executive Offices. I had special access to these professional newspaper men and women, for when The Inquirer started an employee magazine, “Home Edition,” I was hired as its first editor. I was 19.

But back to the memories…

Walter Annenburg was Inquirer publisher. His office was on the 12th floor. He would occasionally do a walk-through of the City Desk, where, at the time, 1947, I was a 17-year-old copyboy, fresh out of Central High School (class 1888). Mr. Annenberg made a point of extending pleasantries to “Stud” Norton, an assistant managing editor, who had been an associate of Mr. Annenberg’s father, Moe, during the father’s Chicago newspaper days. Mr. Annenberg always wore a three-piece suit, in comparison to the rolled-up shirt sleeves of the news staffers. The City Desk, in those days was on the fourth floor, over looking Callowhill st. Next to it was the “Telegraph Room,” then the Sports Department.
Across the hall was the Composing Room, Engraving and Linotype section. (In the 1950’s the News Room moved to the fifth floor.)

In the News Room, my fellow copy boys, included…

…Gil Spencer. He went on to become Editor of The Daily News, and other major dailies.

…Al Gaudiosi. He moved to the Bulletin, where he won a Pulitzer prize.

…Larry Campbell. Mayor Frank Rizzo hired him to be a Deputy Managing Director of Philadelphia.

…Bill Kennedy transferred to the Sunday Magazine, and was in charge of radio and TV listings.

…Russ Carmichael became an Inquirer Librarian.

…Joe Hunter moved up, becoming a reporter, writer and columnist.

…Bob Thomas succeeded me as editor of “Home Edition,” when I went into the Army during the Korean War. He went on to a distinguished career as a reporter and writer.

…Raymond Wall. I believe his entire working years were at The Inquirer. The story is told that Ray, who was considered a bit odd, came from a wealthy family. He often was delivered to work in a chauffeured limousine. One day, a story goes, Wall’s limo came into collision with Mr. Annenberg’s limo at 15th and Callowhill. It was a small fender bender. Wall, a copyboy, approached Mr. Annenberg and said:

“Don’t worry…We’ll let the chauffer’s work this out”.

…And the girls…Mary Larkins…Peggy Harris…Helen Gugino…Dorothy Anderson.

The later two did the daily stock tables for the financial pages.

Some of the best memories are of specific mentors: Newspapermen. Professionals. Good Guys. First and foremost was Frank Brookhouser, daily columnist. He taught me how to write. “Communicate” he told me. “Don’t even be concerned with grammar. One word sentences are fine, if they bring cross the message,” he said. In return for his tutoring, I brought him his mail, and his coffee. Several nights before I left The Inquirer to be in the Army, he took me to the old Latin Casino at 1320 Walnut st. Johnny (“Cry”) Ray was the star. We sat at a down front table with Brookhouser, Dallas Green, the club owner, and the Latin Casino’s P.R. rep Jerry Katz. I was 21. It was my first time drinking a Martini. I had a second. And, from the effects of the first, accidentally knocked over the second. I was embarrassed.

The others laughed.

The names of other newsroom personnel (reporters, rewrite men, copy desk staff, editors) of that era, 1947-1955 come back to me as I write. They included:

I have to add, Fred Shapiro, editor of the Sunday supplement rotogravure magazine. He opened the door for my first byline. The story- -by Joe Ball- -was about the historic mother Bethel AME church in Old City. I still have the article. As “Home Edition” editor, Merrill Pannett, then publisher of TV Guide, on Saturday mornings, would teach me how to layout a pocket size magazine. (Home Edition was that size, with 48 pages).Inquirer general manager, George Neil, showed me how The Inquirer page forms were set up- -while on his knees, spreading the paper out on his office floor. In those day there were five…FIVE!…editions everyday. They were the Bulldog at 6:30 PM…the Late Bulldog at 8:30 P.M…City Edition at 10 P.M., the late City Edition at 1 A.M. and Final City Edition at 3 A.M. Circulation, at the time, was about 1,200,000 on Sundays, and over 650,000 daily. Rewrite men used headphones, taking information from beat reporters. Stories were originals… no second drafts. The writers were quick and accurate. They worked on typewriters.Their words appeared on 8 ½ x 11 yellow sheets, with carbon paper behind to provide a second copy for any later reference…

Their copy went to editors, and on to the copy desk, where a slot man would assign stories to copy editors. They in turn would correct grammar, if necessary and write headlines,identifying the size and style of the headline type. Copyboys would place the stories into pneumatic tubes, sending them to the composing room. Linotype machines, using hot lead would convert the typewritten stories into metal.

The metal would be formed into pages from which “cardboard” mats would be sent to the press room. Linotype operators were usually life-long time employees. Many had jobs in the same Composing Room for 25 to 50 years. So were the printing press personnel. They were easily identifiable by the square paper hats they wore. Copyboys would go to the press room, in the basement, five times a night to get the first 30 or 40 papers of each edition off the press. ( I think a later hearing problem originated from the roar of the presses.) The copy boys would then distribute them to the rewrite men and editors throughout the news room. Stories were updated, for later editions or page positions changed, depending on breaking news. They where also the days of Editors wearing eye shades… reverse telephone directories… constant two-way assignments from the police and fire radios, which were on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week… Teletype machines, in a separate room clattered out news from the Associated Press,United Press, International News Service and Dow Jones, 24/7. There was no air conditioning.There where constant shouts of, “Boy,” addressed to the copy boys when writers and editors had material to go through the procedures- – or simply wanted a coffee.

Memories…

I also fondly remember: …”Dawn Patrol”, 3 AM to 11 AM, hours that I occasionally worked as the only person in the City Room. My job was to listen to the police and fire radios and leave factual memos on early AM occurring news events for the day staff to update…

Example: When the fire dispatcher on radio would give location of a fire, I would call across the street from the fire location to gain information- -using the reverse telephone directory (they no longer exist).

…The elevators had live operators- -who were uniformed… Some editors wore eyeshades …Carbon paper was used. Now, so many of the procedures and people are gone…

But the memories remain…