Newspapers in Berks County

From Morton Montgomery's History of Berks County, Pennsylvania, 1909 edition, pp. 59-61.

There was no newspaper published in the county before 1789. News was communicated by persons to one another mostly at inns and stores, of which the number was large in proportion to the population, more especially at Reading. The latest accident, death, transaction or crookedness of any kind was communicated from one to the other, or to small groups of person; and so it was carried from building to building and from place to place, not in the English language (for English was little spoken then by those who assembled at inns) but German, which was used almost entirely throughout the county in the daily affairs of life, both secular and religious.

During this early period, the Pennsylvania Gazette, published at Philadelphia, had a limited circulation in Reading and in the county. It was an interesting messenger to the people; and its weekly arrival must have been an event of more than ordinary importance. A copy was doubtless busy in passing amongst persons who could read English - not for the personal matters which it contained, but for foreign affairs, market reports, letters published, etc. Christopher SAUER's Journal, a newspaper printed in German, and published at Germantown, had a more extended circulation in this vicinity, and it exercised a large influence over the residents.

Forty years in the history of Reading elapsed before the newspaper became a local institution. The entire period of its local life as a town, with all its many important events, passed away without having it introduced. This would seem to be a long while for such a factor to obtain a foothold in a community otherwise energetic and progressive; but this delay is capable of explanation. The people were interested in home rather than in foreign affairs, and strove to give them successful development. Local matters required no printed publication, for, the town being small and the population limited, they were easily communicated. But as the town grew into a borough, and especially as the borough grew into a city, with its territory enlarged, the inhabitants more widely scattered and the population largely increased, the natural way became more and more incapable of satisfying the inquisitiveness of the people and an artificial way had to be introduced - and this was supplied by the newspaper.

After the lapse of a century, a general progress came to be so wonderful, the people so numerous and scattered, and their relations so intermingled, that, just as the natural way had to yield to the artificial, so did the old and slow process of printing on a hand-press, with its limited capacity, have to make way for the new and spirited process, by a steam-press, with its unlimited capacity. In the beginning the newspaper was weak in every respect, small in size, limited in circulation, uncertain in financial support, and wanting in mental vigor and originality; but afterward it became strong, rich, energetic and inventive.

The newspapers of the county comprise two classes, weekly and daily. Some of them were printed in the German language, but most of them in the English. The following statement shows the names of the several newspapers instituted at Reading and in the county: also the names of the founders, the time when instituted, and the duration of the publication. Though published almost entirely at Reading, they have been placed in this chapter on account of their general circulation throughout the county and elsewhere.

Weekly Newspapers at Reading

Monthly Newspapers

Mengel and Mengel have issued a Real Estate Register monthly since January, 1895, relating to the conditions of real estate at Reading and vicinity.

Weekly Newspapers at Boroughs

DAILY NEWSPAPERS. Weekly newspaper publications were carried on at Reading for over sixty years before a daily was thought of, at least before a public proposition to this end was made. Many weeklies had been instituted at that time; but they all suspended excepting two, and these two are worth of especial mention for their energy, success, and longevity - the Adler and the Journal - the former a German publication founded in 1796, and the latter an English publication founded in 1816, which is strictly a continuation of the Weekly Advertiser, started also in 1796. The population was certainly here to support a daily newspaper. The rapid increase of the people would seem to have warranted - if it did not inspire - such an enterprise in that period of time. Education was quite general, though stimulated with marked public energy after 1834; and the English language was growing gradually into favor. The railroad was constructed, various shops and factories, especially for the manufacture of iron goods, were erected; even English churches were founded.

The second period of Reading was unusually prolific in producing great things for the common progress of its citizens. In 1840 the population was 8,410, and in 1847 it was about 12,000; and in the respective years names the entire county had about 65,000 and 70,000. The railroad extended through the entire Schuylkill Valley to the north and to the south, and the stages ran daily in every direction. These means facilitated the distribution of newspapers, and encouraged the spirit of publication; and the borough was advanced into a city. Still, there was no daily newspaper.

When the third period was begun there were seven weekly newspapers carried on successfully, Adler, Journal, Berks County Press, Liberale Boebachter, Alt Berks, Jefferson Democrat, and Reading Gazette. They were issued upon different days in the week, but mostly on Saturday. Naturally, this number was sufficient to discourage the thought of a daily publication. But the spirit of enterprise was working its way through the people in different channels; buildings were multiplying, trade was growing, population was increasing, and many strangers were locating here permanently. The daily events necessarily grew with the general growth, and the disposition to know them at once was preparing the way for a step beyond the weekly publication, and just s the stage-coach and canal boat, through the energy of trading, came to be slow and had to make way for the steam-car, so the weekly newspaper was coming to be late in communicating news, the feeling against the delay was growing stronger and stronger, public eagerness clamoring for an improvement.

Three months after Reading was incorporated as a city, Abraham S. WHITMAN - practical young printer of Reading - took the first step beyond a weekly publication by instituting and carrying on a tri-weekly newspaper, which he entitled The Reading Herald, and within two months he enlarged its size and improved its appearance. But he soon found that he had stepped beyond his time, and was therefore compelled to issue the publication as a weekly newspaper.

About the same time, J. Lawrence GETZ, publisher of the Reading Gazette (weekly), made the editorial announcement that he would undertake the publication of a daily newspaper, if supported; but the support was so limited that he was forced to discontinue it after an earnest trial of nine days.

These first efforts were in 1847. Ten years elapsed. In that time two new railroads were extended from this business center, one to the west through Lebanon Valley, the other to the northeast through East Penn Valley. From 12,000 the population of the city had increased to 20,000, and from 70,000 the population of the county had increased to 90,000. The post offices round about in the county had multiplied from forty-one to seventy - a wonderful increase in this department of public service. The added wealth to the community from all sources was estimated not by the thousands of dollars, but by the millions, and the hand-press for newspapers had become supplanted by the steam-press. Mr. GETZ doubtless reasoned in this manner in 1857, and satisfying himself that the prospects were favorable, he started in this enterprise for a second time. He continued the publication successfully, though under discouraging patronage, until Feb. 3, 1858, when he changed the time of its issue to the evening, and reduced the price from ten cents a week to six cents.

His second experiment was, however, carried on for only three weeks, and he was again compelled to suspend publication. The Berks and Schuylkill Journal complimented his spirit and enterprise, but expressed the opinion that the suspension was by no means creditable either to the intelligence or to the public spirit of a city with 20,000 inhabitants. Its list of patrons embraced four hundred and fifty regular subscribers; but only sixteen out of two hundred and forty business men of Reading took sufficient interest to give it advertising patronage.

Immediately after the suspension of the Gazette, a stronger feeling for a daily newspaper manifested itself by the citizens and so a third attempt was made. This was by J. Robley DUNGLISON, a young man from Philadelphia, who had settled at Reading about that time. He issued the first number of his paper on July 19, 1858, which was entitled Reading Daily Times. It was a folio, printed in the English language, 16 by 24 inches, with five columns to the page, and issued in the morning. He published it until Dec. 9, 1859, when he sold it to Henry LANTZ. LANTZ published it until September, 1861, when (owing to his enlistment in the Civil war) he sold the paper to A. S. WHITMAN and Charles F. HAUSE, who published it very successfully during the Civil war. In 1865, F. B. SHALTERS became interested, and in 1868 the sole owner and editor. In 1869, the paper was purchased by J. KNABB & Co., the publishers of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal, and this firm and its successor, the Reading Times Publishing Company, have published it ever since.

The Evening Dispatch was issued as an evening daily paper from Feb. 10, 1866, until April 4, 1870, when it was purchased by J. KNABB & Co. and merged with the Reading Times, and Alfred S. JONES had started the Daily Reporter on April 26, 1864, and issued it for nearly a year.

The Daily Eagle was founded by William S. RITTER and Jesse G. HAWLEY (publishers of the Reading Adler), on Jan 28, 1868. In 1874, HAWLEY purchased the entire interest, and published the paper until his decease in 1903. By his great enterprise he enlarged its circulation very much and distributed its issue not only into every town and township of the county, but into neighboring and distant counties in the Schuylkill, East Penn and Lebanon Valleys. Since his decease, its publication has been continued with equal and deserved success by his estate.

The first daily German newspaper at Reading was published by William ROSENTHAL, on June 1, 1868, under the title of Die Readinge Post, and he issued it successfully until 1908, when he sold it to John WEILER.

The Daily News was issued by William S. RITTER (proprietor of the Adler) from May, 1880, until May, 1886.

The Daily Spirit of Berks was started by Daniel S. FRANCIS on Aug. 6, 1881, and published by him until November following, when he sold the daily and the weekly issue of this paper to John B. DAMPMAN and A. C. BUCKWALTER, who then changed the names to the Daily Herald and Weekly Herald. William McCORMICK became the purchaser in the fall of 1896 and discontinued the Weekly paper, but has issued the Daily since. During the Spanish war in 1898 he published a morning and evening issue of the daily, but he discontinued the morning issue at the close of this war.

The Reading Telegram, a daily, owned by the Reading Telegram Publishing Company, has been issued since 1887.

Other daily newspapers were started at Reading and issued for various periods, but not beyond several years, such as the Daily Leader, Evening Star, Evening Record, Daily People, Daily Graphic Evening Review, and Evening World.

Contributed by Bonnie Blau.