Chattanooga Shakeup

Publishing peace came to Chattanooga, Tenn. last week. The peace brought new and greater Lebensraum for 40-year-old Groceryman Roy McDonald, who nine years ago started the Free Press to advertise his own grocery chain (60 stores) and succeeded so well that six years later he had driven to the wall George Fort Milton's once-powerful News.

In a deal which largely ends economic competition between Chattanooga's two remaining papers and puts them in a position to make wartime operating economies, Groceryman McDonald became president of a new company which will pool circulation, advertising and mechanical staffs of the News-Free Press (evening) and the Chattanooga Times (morning). A bigger compliment to Groceryman McDonald was the agreement by the Chattanooga Times (the late great Adolph Ochs's steppingstone to the New York Times and still controlled by the Ochs family) to discontinue its evening edition. Started two years ago to give the fast-growing News-Free Press a run for its money, the evening Times remained a weak sister. Groceryman McDonald's lesser concession will be to discontinue his Sunday edition.

While becoming Siamese twins in business matters, the Times and News-Free Press will still keep "independent and competitive" news and editorial staffs.

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