A New Star

". , . A tremendous influx of skilled labor brought sharply to the attention of the Star the need for a bright, compact newspaper in modern tempo. At the same time . . . a modern motor-coach system . . . makes the old, large newspaper impractical to read while riding." Thus last week the Seattle Star gave its reason for becoming the Pacific Northwest's first tabloid. There were other reasons. They were something of a tabloid story in themselves--a story of mismanaged inheritance, hairbreadth financial escapes, family squabbling.

Trouble started when the Scripps League chain (eleven papers, mostly in the Northwest) was taken over by the two strapping sons of its chief founder, James George Scripps (son of the late, great Edward Wyllis Scripps). The Scripps boys came into control when their mother in 1928 made an installment deal to buy the stock of Scripps League Co-Founder Leroy Sanders, who since then has given the Scripps boys many a headache.

Tough luck dogged the inexperienced Scripps boys from the start. Drastic salary cuts (excepting their own) and mutual mistrust soured their employe relations. A Seattle Guild strike heavily sapped circulation and advertising; they had to pay seven months' back wages besides. Fumbling editorial policy cost still more heavily. In order to pay the installments due Sanders, they had to sell two profitmakers, the Portland News-Telegram and the San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune.

By last June the Seattle Star, their largest paper, had lost all but one department-store ad contract. Sanders, who still owned 15% of Star stock, squawked deafeningly. The boys tried to sell the Star, found no buyers.

At that point Star Publisher Frank Taylor got his dander up. Deciding the Star had a fighting chance, he got the Guild to agree to 15 economy firings--provided he forked over $7,000 cash severance pay. The Star did not have it. The bank refused to lend it--having already kissed its $100,000 Star loan goodby. The Star decided to fold. Then came a last-minute rescue. When the remaining staff pledged part of what severance pay they would get if the paper later folded, the bank agreed to a loan. Publisher Taylor began thinking about a total tabloid.

Three months later came an unexpected break. It was the Scripps boys' younger sister Ellen, smart, temperamental, strong-minded, twice-married Mrs. Ellen Browning Scripps Balentine Davis. From San Diego, hot-eyed over the cold state of family finances, Sister Ellen went storming to Seattle. From then on things happened fast. Office expenses were slashed.

Brothers Jim and Ed were eased out of control. The affairs of the Star were turned over to a three-man board representing the Scripps family, Leroy Sanders and the bank. They gave Publisher Taylor a free hand.

Editor Sax Bradford went to South America. To get out the new tabloid, Sports Editor Cliff Harrison was made editor. On its first day as a tabloid the Star gained 10,000 readers, lost only 800 of them the second, has gained steadily since--from 65,000 to 75,000.

Such was the story, rather than the one told by Publisher Taylor, that Seattle newspaper rivals saw behind the Star's change of face. But they agreed that Seattle's defense boom and swelling population afford the Star a real chance to get back on its feet.

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