Thursday, December 13, 2012

December 1955 Lorain Journal Ad

From December 1955, here's a Christmas-themed newspaper ad for Journal want ads. I love the jangled and seemingly hand-rendered 'Journal Want Ads' typography, as well as the little illustration of the woman on the phone. Santa's sock-like hat is unusual too.

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I gotta confess – I still have a hard time with the name The Morning Journal.

If there's anything that leaps out at me as I scroll through endless rolls of vintage newspaper microfilm at the library, it's how much Lorain news used to be crammed into the former Lorain Journal. In the 1960s and 70s, the newspaper was chock-full of community news, especially pertaining to schools. The hiring of new teachers, school honor rolls, school dances, fun fairs, choir and band concerts, and poster contests used to be newsworthy.

I used to get a real thrill seeing my name in the paper for the honor roll. (Now the only way I see my name in the paper is for a traffic ticket.)

When it became The Morning Journal, it just wasn't the same paper. And with the focus now on being a regional newspaper (way beyond the former Golden Crescent), the whole Lorain flavor of the publication has been watered down. I'm not sure if it has helped or hurt sales. What good is it if someone in Castalia or Westlake buys it if there's Lorainites who don't?

I miss the old Lorain Journal. But I don't think it's ever coming back.

4 comments:

fancycat said...

I never cared for the Morning version. I wanted to read the paper at the end of the day. As far as the Golden Crescent, I think it was high hopes of vast readership.

-Alan D Hopewell said...

The current paper has no personality, and no soul.

Anonymous said...

The current paper has a personality, just like its editor - zealous conservatism and hatred of the current Federal administration. Not very personable, but a personality nonetheless.
The Lorain Journal won't be back - neither will Ford Motor Company, Amship, Thew Shovel, nor, despite what the shale drilling industry would have you believe, U.S. Steel. Such is the sine wave of life - it was up for awhile, now it's in a trough, it'll be back up sometime, but it'll be different.

-Alan D Hopewell said...

To be honest, I've not read the Editorials in the Journal for years, but I can certainly agree with their view on the government; I await the eventual dethronement of the Impostor.