Out for Blood

Since Manhattan's three afternoon dailies doubled their price to 10-c- last spring, they have lost 301,000 in sales--almost as much as the daily circulation of the morning Herald Tribune. In a city where death in the afternoon is a classic newspaper fate, the three have been scrambling to regain circulatory lifeblood. even if it means draining the other fellow's veins. This week Hearst's Journal-American (circ. 585.121) launched its boldest raid on rival circulation. At the cost of "close to $1,000,000" a year for more newsprint and personnel, the paper began running complete daily stock-market quotations--a reader-fetching feature hitherto monopolized in the afternoon by Scripps-Howard's World-Telegram and Sum (circ. 468,117).*

Of the three papers, the World-Telegram is the only one hit hard enough by the circulation drop to have cut its advertising rates this summer; its sales fell 19%. compared with 16.2% for the Journal-American and 18.2% for the tabloid Post (circ. 350,814). The World-Telly has brightened its own financial section with new features, e.g., columns on Wall Street gossip, market letters and mutual funds, and switched Charles G. Haskell from his job as assistant managing editor, to run the business and financial pages. A spokesman denied that the changes were inspired by the Journal's plans, said that his paper's circulation was already recovering beyond expectations and gamely accepted the new challenge: "The competition will be stimulating."

* Whose masthead bears the tombstone of the last two Manhattan afternoon papers to die into merger: the World and the Sun.

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