The Truth
We met our account representative in The Truth newspaper offices today in Elkhart to discuss the publication of a twelve page tabloid to be inserted in the paper to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Plain and Fancy at Amish Acres. We were then given a tour of the building from the advertising sales department, graphics department, news room, including the little circle of random chairs, several with Chicago Cubs upholstry, where the editorial board meets twice a day to determine the content of the next day's news. Each potential story must pass three questions. 1. Does it affect your life? 2. Does it make you smarter? 3. Does it make you think?
Since The Truth, formerly The Elkhart Truth, is now a morning paper, our 1:30 p.m. tour was of a nearly empty building. Staffers begin rolling in throughout the afternoon and the paper goes to press after midnight. 34,000 papers are printed in a little over an hour. The Truth uses recycled paper, mostly from Canada. Although recycled paper is politically correct among The Truth's readers, the chemicals used to bleach the recycled paper causes more polution to the environment that using newly cut trees. On the other hand, the soy based inks used are better for the environment than oil based inks.
The current process of creating film from digital photography that is chemically etched onto aluminum plates that transfer the images to the paper, is a far cry from Kodak film of just several years ago. Although the Nikon digital cameras were $5,000 each, the savings from 35 mm film ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. The next generation of cameras is coming. They will cost the same, but the 3 megapixels will increase to 12 megapixels.
All of this recalls to me my beginnings in advertising in our family furniture store out of college in 1964. I was limited to cardboard mats impressed with images and words that came from furniture vendors and advertising companies. I longed for flexibilities that would permit personalization. next came paste ups from PMT images that were then photographed with huge cameras with lens that took up rooms. I could envision the present improvements, but not in their forms. I can't envision what's to come. For me that's the biggest change.
Since The Truth, formerly The Elkhart Truth, is now a morning paper, our 1:30 p.m. tour was of a nearly empty building. Staffers begin rolling in throughout the afternoon and the paper goes to press after midnight. 34,000 papers are printed in a little over an hour. The Truth uses recycled paper, mostly from Canada. Although recycled paper is politically correct among The Truth's readers, the chemicals used to bleach the recycled paper causes more polution to the environment that using newly cut trees. On the other hand, the soy based inks used are better for the environment than oil based inks.
The current process of creating film from digital photography that is chemically etched onto aluminum plates that transfer the images to the paper, is a far cry from Kodak film of just several years ago. Although the Nikon digital cameras were $5,000 each, the savings from 35 mm film ran into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. The next generation of cameras is coming. They will cost the same, but the 3 megapixels will increase to 12 megapixels.
All of this recalls to me my beginnings in advertising in our family furniture store out of college in 1964. I was limited to cardboard mats impressed with images and words that came from furniture vendors and advertising companies. I longed for flexibilities that would permit personalization. next came paste ups from PMT images that were then photographed with huge cameras with lens that took up rooms. I could envision the present improvements, but not in their forms. I can't envision what's to come. For me that's the biggest change.
posted by Richard Pletcher | 10:23 PM
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