Typical front page
Lathers' poem "The Harvest Moon"

The Mears Newz (earlier known as The Mears News) was a twentieth-century newspaper published in Mears, Michigan.

History

The Mears News[upper-alpha 1] made its debut July 24, 1914. The Mears Newz was published by Swift Lathers, its founder and editor. Lathers worked as a stringer for a Detroit newspaper, he moved to Mears in 1909, and started The Mears News and reported on events in Mears. Lathers worked as reporter, writer, editor, printed the newspapers on a foot-operated printing press, and would hand deliver the newspapers locally.[1]

The newspaper was self-proclaimed as The Smallest Newspaper in the World.[1][2][3][4] It was published on a paper that was smaller than the normal size bond.[3] Its size was approximately that of a postcard at about five by seven inches and consisted of four pages.[2] The weekly newspaper was published every Friday from 1914 to 1970.[3] Lathers had paid subscribers in 38 states.[2] Sometime after 1916 and before 1919 the News name was changed to Newz on the suggestion from a subscriber.[1]

The Mears Newz during the 1940s had a worldwide circulation of over 2000.[1][5] Lathers had a circulation at one time of over 2,700 when he voluntarily cut the list to keep subscription circulation manageable. Those whose name started before D and all those after S no longer received his newspaper."[6]

The subscription cost for the newspaper was 50 cents per year and 1 dollar for a six-month subscription. When a local businessman told Lathers that his publication would not last six months and offered him 25 cents Lathers set his subscription fee at 50 cents a year, 1 dollar for six months and 2 dollars for 3 months. The newspaper was in production for 56 years and the subscription cost never changed.[1]

The Mears Newz August 18, 1922:

The Mears News next to a standard United States Post Office issued postcard.

The Mears News of August 7, 1914

See also

  • Swift Lathers

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Original spelling of the newspaper's name.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Centennial Celebration". Oceana's Herald-Journal. Jim Young: 3–16. July 17, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Hoogterp 2006, p. 350.
  3. 1 2 3 Scott 2005, p. 125.
  4. ↑ "Lathers Family Offers Home For Historical Museum". Newspapers.com. Ludington Daily News. April 17, 1971. p. 7. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Pleasant Afternoon celebrates 100 years of Mears Newz". oceanacountypress.com. Oceana County Press. August 18, 2014. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  6. ↑ Yakes, Daniel J (March 19, 1986). "Swift Lathers". Muskegon Chronicle. Muskegon, Michigan.

Sources

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