Fact-fully, Al Neuharth changed the look of American newspapers when he founded USA Today, filling the newspaper with breezy, easy-to-comprehend articles, attention-grabbing graphics and stories that often didn't require readers to jump to a different page.
Furthermore, critics dubbed USA Today "McPaper" when it debuted in 1982, and they accused Neuharth, of dumbing down American journalism with its easy-to-read articles and bright graphics. In fact, USA Today became the nation's most-circulated newspaper in the late 1990s.
The hard-charging founder of USA Today died on Friday in Cocoa Beach, Fla while he was 89. The news was announced by USA Today and by the Newseum, which he also founded. Jack Marsh, president of the Al Neuharth Media Center and a close friend, confirmed that he passed away Friday afternoon at his home. Marsh said Neuharth fell earlier this week and never quite recovered.
Sections were denoted by different colors and that the entire back page of the news section had a colored-weather map of the entire United States. The news section contained a state-by-state roundup of headlines from across the nation. Its eye-catching logo of white lettering on a blue background made it recognizable from a distance.
Neuharth said in 1995 that their target was college-age people who were non-readers and they thought they were getting enough serious stuff in classes. They hooked them primarily because it was a colorful newspaper that played up the things they were interested in sports, entertainment and TV.
USA Today was unlike any newspaper before it when it debuted in 1982. Its style was widely laughed at but later widely imitated. Many news veterans gave it few chances for survival. Even advertisers were at first reluctant to place their money in a newspaper that might compete with local dailies even though circulation grew. In 1999, USA Today edged past the Wall Street Journal in circulation with 1.75 million daily copies, to take the title of the nation's biggest newspaper.
The late Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham said in a 2000 Associated Press interview that everybody was skeptical and so was he, but he never said about bet against Neuharth.
The launch of USA Today was Neuharth's most visible undertaking during more than 15 years as chairman and CEO of the Gannett Co. During his helm, Gannett became the nation's largest newspaper company and the company's annual revenues increased from $200 million to more than $3 billion. Neuharth became CEO of the company in 1973 and chairman in 1979. He retired in 1989.
Interestingly, as Gannett chief, Neuharth loved making the deal. Even more so, the driven media mogul loved toying with and trumping his competitors in deal-making.
To say more, in his autobiography, "Confessions of an S.O.B.," Neuharth made no secret of his hard-nosed business tactics, such as taking advantage of a competitor's conversation he overheard.
He further recounted proudly how he beat out Graham in acquiring newspapers in Wilmington, Del while he also said the two were attending a conference together in Hawaii, and he had already learned that Gannett had the winning bid, but he kept silent until he slipped her a note right before the deal was to be announced.
As the concluding fact remain, during the mid-1980s, Gannett unsuccessfully attempted to merge with CBS in what would have been the biggest media company at the time. In fact, the deal fell apart, something that Neuharth considered one of his biggest failures.
May God rest his soul in peace.
Image source: Florida Today
(AW:Samrat Biswas)
