Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 1, 1955.
This Is the Story of The Vidette-Messenger
There Are 8 Departments In Operation
By ROLLIE BERNHART
What do you know about your newspaper today?
As a kick-off to spotlight National Newspaper Week, Oct. 1-8, here are some pertinent facts about The Vidette - Messenger and the departmental organization which daily provides a steady information and advertising source for its more than 7,100 subscribers and their families.
It should be significant during National Newspaper Week to know the various departments of the organization, which unifies itself into a cooperative system to eventually produce your daily Vidette-Messenger.
The Vidette-Messenger is now in its 28th year of operation, more than a quarter century since the merger of The Daily Vidette and The Evening Messenger on July 5, 1927. The publisher is Mrs. L.M. Whipple, and Avery B. Weaver, is the general manager and treasurer.
More than 7,100 of the current total net paid circulation of 7,208, are in the Valparaiso retail trade area.
There are eight full scale departments, all of which directly and indirectly aid in the production of the newspaper. They are: executive, editorial, office, composing room, press and stereotyping departments, display advertising, classified advertising, and circulation department.
The Vidette-Messenger employs 28 full time and five part-time employees throughout the various departments.
In addition to the six-man editorial staff, managed by Herbert Steinbach, there are 11 county and area correspondents, who contribute news regularly to appropriately headed sections of the newspaper.
Members of the editorial staff, in addition to Steinbach, are: Karl Henrichs, city reporter; Miss Betsy MacFie, county reporter; Charles Zulich, sports; Mrs. Irene Bosstick, society; and Rollie Bernhart, reporter-photographer.
County Reporters
County correspondence is received in the editorial rooms from: Boone Grove, Union Center, Wanatah, Wauhob Lake, Wheeler, Chesterton, Boone Grove, Kouts, Hebron, Liberty township, Crocker, Lake Eliza and East Porter.
Two special photographers, Arthur E. Anderson, Chesterton; and Chet Dynewski, Boone Grove, contribute photos on special or spot assignments.
Ever-mindful of the importance of the school as a news source, the V-M has Miss Karen Angle, currently a VHS senior, as its school reporter. James McGill, a VHS junior, and a part-time V-M photography and engraving department employee, doubles in brass as school photographer.
The three employees in the advertising department headed by Robert L. Bibler, make all store contacts, layouts, run proofs and check all copy for the myriad of advertisements which appear in the daily run of The Vidette-Messenger. The assistants are Leo Kinman and Miss Lou Rohr.
No observance of National Newspaper Week would be complete without the recognition of one newspaper section which serves hundreds of readers all over the city and county, the classified section. This department is in the capable hands of Mrs. Wilbur Rothmann, aided by various members of the office force.
Business Department
In the business department, Mrs. John Robertson is the head bookkeeper, with the general department functions under the direction of Weaver. Mrs. Phyllis Voiles aids in this department, and serves as general switchboard operator.
Holding down perhaps one of the “roughest” jobs in the newspaper business is Mrs. Cleve Panter, who proof-reads the majority of the daily news copy eventually printed in The Vidette-Messenger. Miss Jo Anne Muster does this chore Saturdays and is part time assistant in the office.
At the five linotypes there are: Mrs. Robert Muster, Ivan Larson, Paul Reibly, Ward Williamson and Robert Randall.
In the composing room (those experts who can read better up-side-down than some persons can read right-side-up) Jack Allett, superintendent, Joseph Reibl and Kenneth Graham hold forth.
James Mull manages the press and stereotype departments, capably aided by John Parks and Art Wooten.
As reported by Vince Anderson, circulation manager, the net paid circulation of The Vidette-Messenger today, is 7,208. The distributed circulation figure is 7,425. Circulation department assistant is Mrs. Hazel. Russi. Part time employees are Paul Brown, Floyd Turner and Delmar Graham.
65 News Carriers
To carry and distribute these papers throughout the city and county, the V-M has 43 carriers on routes in Valparaiso, and 22 of “the nation’s youngest businessmen” on the out-of-town routes.
In addition to Valparaiso, newsboys deliver the daily V-M to Hebron, Kouts, Chesterton, Porter, Wheeler, Wanatah, Boone Grove, Boiling Springs, Lincoln Hills and the lake areas north of the city.
The Vidette-Messenger is also distributed and delivered by motor route to Liberty and Westchester townships. There is also one contracted motor delivery to dealers, and five special paper pick-ups for neighboring town distribution.
These thumb nail sketches merely brush the surface of the departments and personnel, who undergo a sometimes distracting but efficient daily “deadline” as the gamut is run in order to produce The Vidette-Messenger.
For as an editor of a southern publication recently wrote, “the staff that can survive the dull prosaic nature of day-to-day newspapering, then rise to whatever the challenger might be and perform it brilliantly, boldly and without regard to hours or to self, with nothing more than public service in mind, can really make a newspaper great.”