Historical November 1979 report or notice. Original dates, prices, contacts and program details describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
In last month’s very delayed issue, readers may have been shocked to learn of The Paper’s financial plight. Some of them may be asking how things got to this pass when so many organizations mention The Paper as a recipient of their largesse when they are raising funds. At the Art Fair several fund-raising efforts may have cited The Paper as one of the worthy causes to which profits might be funneled. “Profits” is a key word here. In these inflationary times, profits at such events are smaller and smaller while expenses balloon. Between Art Fair ’79 and September 30, 1979, The Paper received outright gifts as follows:
- Grace United Methodist Church: $200
- Skinker-DeBaliviere Comm. Council: $500
- Individual Contributions [no amount printed].
Summary of expenses of The Paper
January 1, 1979 through September 30, 1979. (Traditionally there is no January issue.)
- February: Printing $272.29 (paid); Typography $190.80 (paid); Total $463.09 (paid).
- March: Printing $257.38 (paid); Typography $159.40 (paid); Total $416.78 (paid).
- April: Printing $257.38 (paid); Typography $154.42 (paid); Total $411.80 (paid).
- May: Printing $470.29 (paid); Typography $222.00 (no paid mark); Total $692.29 (part paid).
- June: Printing $506.12 (no paid mark); Typography $212.65 (no paid mark); Total $718.77 (no paid mark).
- September: Printing $304.20 (no paid mark); Typography $167.60 (no paid mark); Total $471.80 (no paid mark).
- Total: Printing $2,067.66; Typography $1,106.87; Total $3,174.53.
- Total paid: Printing $1,257.34; Typography $504.62; Total $1,761.96.
- Total owed: Printing $810.32; Typography $602.25; Total $1,412.57.
(Since The Paper’s plea for help, a number of organizations and individuals have contributed and our debt has been greatly reduced. These contributors are listed with our gratitude elsewhere in this issue.)
Organizations have bought advertising, which certainly helps The Paper, but which we presume is aimed at helping the organization itself to generate money. The simple fact is that no matter how beneficent have been the intentions of neighborhood ‘organizations, The Paper has not been receiving substantial contributions from them.
Our readers should also understand that costs have been rising steadily for The Paper. One eight-page issue of The Paper costs approximately $450.00. At nine issues per year (not considering that there is usually a 12-page Art Fair issue or an occasional supplement, such as the one on the Historic District) that puts the yearly cost of typesetting and printing The Paper at over $4000. Remember also please that all of those who toil to put The Paper together, do so without any pay whatsoever. Another unpleasant reality is that costs for printing will surely rise as of January 1, 1980. if the past few years’ pattern persists.
Putting The Paper on a “pay-as-you-go” basis will take the efforts of more people than have been working on this goal in the past. Advertising salespeople are needed to sell advertising space and maintain communication with the advertisers. Without a steady source of advertising income The Paper will continue to come begging for community support to stay afloat. How important is The Paper to you?
Original photograph caption
Original expense table, January 1–September 30, 1979. The Paper, November 1979, page 2.
Originally published in The Paper, November 1979.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Archival transcription note: The November financial table labels its first row February, although an earlier available PDF has a January masthead. The financial table label is preserved without retrospectively redating another issue.; Individual Contributions has no printed amount; it has not been inferred as zero.
Original source: SD_Times1979_11.pdf, printed page(s) 2; PDF page(s) 2.
