Alabama Press Association Scrapbook, 1939-1940
Background:
The
Editors and Publishers Association of the State of Alabama was established in
1872 in Montgomery. The group, which changed its name to the Alabama Press Association
in 1891, was organized
to support and to improve newspapers in Alabama and to promote tourism and trade
in the state. The goals of
the APA are reflected in its mottoes "Always for Alabama, All Ways"
and "It's Our Business to Help Your
Business."
Sources:
Brackeen,
Louis Otto. History of the Alabama Press Association, 1871-1951. Prepared
and
reproduced special project of the Alabama Polytechnic Institute in cooperation
with the
Alabama Press Association. Auburn, 1951. Revised edition: Decatur, AL: 1960.
Williams,
King E, Jr. The Press of Alabama: A History of the Alabama Press Association.
Birmingham: Alabama Press Association, 1997.
Scope and Content:
The
oversize scrapbook contains mostly newspaper clippings from over fifty Alabama
newspapers in
1939 and 1940 compiled by APA Field Manager Doyle Buckles. The clippings cover
the activities of the
association including participation in National Newspaper Week, the selection of
Buckles to be the field
manager, plans for the 70th annual convention, and details of a
state-wide tour of Alabama editors that resulted
in a media campaign calling Alabama the "nation's number one economic
opportunity" (rather than its number
one economic problem).
Buckles
regularly sent memos to APA members suggesting ways to increase advertising
revenue and
circulation and offering suggestions for ad copy and layout. These memos and
examples of when the suggestions
were used in newspapers are in the second half of the scrapbook. Some
correspondence between Buckles and
newspaper editors is included.
The scrapbook
also contains a few brochures published by the Alabama Power Company and the
Alabama State Chamber of Commerce promoting industrial development and tourism
in the state.
Guide to Collection:
Not
available.
Subject Areas:
Alabama
Press Association.
Journalists
-- Alabama.
Tourism --
Alabama.
Collection Number: 1294
Size: ½ linear foot (1 box)
Restrictions: Standard preservation and copyright restrictions.
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