Central Press Association

The Central Press Association was American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.

History

Virgil Venice McNitt, the managing editor of the Cleveland Press, founded the Central Press Association at Cleveland in 1910.^[1] In 1912, McNitt acquired the Chicago-based North American Press Syndicate and merged it into the Central Press.^[1][2] That same year, McNitt entered into arrangements to publish works authored by William Jennings Bryan and Jane Addams. He hired Bryan to cover the 1912 Republican and Democratic National Conventions for the Central Press.^[1][3][4] He also made a deal with Addams to circulate her Progressive Party Platforms to newspaper across the country.^[5] By 1925, the Central Press's features had 12 million daily readers and was the largest newspaper picture service in the United States.^[6] In 1927, the Central Press also took over the Editors Feature Service.^[7] Virgil McNitt remained the president and general manager of the Central Press from its founding in 1910 until 1930.

In 1930, McNitt sold the Central Press to the King Features Syndicate, part of the Heart newspaper syndicate. The Central Press Association continued to operate as a separate division of King Features until 1971, when it ceased operations.^[8] Murray Rosenblatt was the managing editor of the Central Press from 1946 to 1961.^[9] He was preceded as managing editor of the Central Press by Frank McLearn, who became president and general manager of the King Features Syndicate.^[10]

Syndicated properties

Features

• "Diet and Health," by Lulu Hunt Peters
• Dr. Gary C. Myers' psychology series
• "Beauty" by Madame Rubinstein
• Jess Cargill editorial cartoons
• "Hocus Pocus" by Wil Davey

Comics

• "Brick Bradford" by William Ritt and Clarence Gray
• "Etta Kett" by Paul Robinson
• "Old Home Town" by Lee Stanley
• "High Pressure Pete" by George Swanson
• "Muggs McGinnis" by Wally Bishop
• "Goofey Movies" by Fred Neher
• "Big Sister" by Les Forgrave
• "Sport Side-Lights" by Jack Sords
• "Humorous Slants on Humanity" by Clifford McBride
• "Among Us Girls" by Paul Robinson

Sports writers

• William H. Ritt
• Jack Sords
• Al Winfield
• Norman E. Brown

Opinion

• "The Way of the World" by Grove Patterson
• "Who's Who"
• "Timely Views"
• "The Grab Bag"

See also

• McNaught Syndicate

References

1. "Virgil V. M'Nitt Journalist Dies". The New York Times. June 16, 1964.
2. Mark S. Monmonier (1989). Maps With the News: The Development of American Journalistic Cartography. University of Chicago Press. p. 83. ISBN 0-226-53411-1.
3. William Jennings Bryan (September 23, 1912). "THE TAFT-ROOSEVELT FEUD: Commoner Analyzes The Situation In The Republican Party And Shows The Causes Which Brought It About". The Sun, Baltimore, Md.
4. William Jennings Bryan (October 7, 1912). "Bryan Says Both Taft and Roosevelt Cloud Tariff Issue". Chicago Daily Tribune.
5. Katherine Joslin (2004). Jane Addams: A Writer's Life. University of Illinois Press. p. 137. ISBN 0-252-02923-2.
6. "Press Manager Surprised By Developments". The Evening Independent. January 16, 1925.
7. Elmo Scott Watson (1936). A history of newspaper syndicates in the United States, 1865-1935. Watson. p. 66.
8. "Walter Johns". The Nevada Daily Mail. August 27, 2002.
9. "Murray Rosenblatt". The New York Times. June 10, 1961.
10. "Frank McLearn, of King Features". The New York Times. May 25, 1969.