Since the invention of movable type, Publishers have been looking for a faster, if not less expensive way to get word into print and into the reader's hands.

Many of the changes in the industry took a related invention or process change to really affect the time to publish a newspaper.

Without a faster printing press, movable type would have had limited impact on mass distribution.

Things really started to roll when they invented typesetting machines that cast lead slugs of lines of type. Again it took the invention of the stereotype machine to make round plates and presses with cylinders. Prior to that, printing was limited to putting the type in a flat chase (form to hold the type) and a flat bed press.

Editors really benefited from the early inventions. They got later deadlines. These movable type benefits must have gone almost entirely to the editors. Editors did not have to worry about reporting late West Coast ball scores so they just wrote their stories later.

Advertising was happy because now they could offer later deadlines. This was to be a competitive advantage in some cities.

Then things started to change. Faster presses meant more copies would be produced and produced much faster. In larger cities, it was important to get the news to the street (we did not have home delivery then) so you had more selling time… that is what circulation contended with. Perhaps, editors benefited a bit, but more often timesavings went to circulation.

With the opportunity of a much faster process, there now becomes a need for more pages and sections. The press manufacturers developed multiple web presses and continued to create faster presses. Adding this to a fast method setting type resulted in the newspaper getting bigger.

The editors started losing ground at this point. Their copy had to get in early so it could be processed with the least number of people. Advertising was extremely happy with these turns of events, which resulted in the ability to sell more and more ads. Now that they were getting bigger they needed more people and more trucks, which meant they needed the newspapers earlier. Of course, home delivery added even more pressure on delivery time.

It took the introduction of offset presses and computers to make the next big jump in reducing time in the process. This wonderful change was the one that made the publishers happy. They could reduce their production cost dramatically. Editors loved it as they could send their material down later, not sure the deadlines moved any, but this gave them the advantage to work later. After all, we now had West and East Coast ball scores to report.

Faster front-end systems, faster color systems and faster plate making systems allowed later flow of copy. Although the press start did not change, the last copy deadline would become later. Circulation wanted some of the timesavings, but generally, the editors were the winners in this one. Advertising has the benefit of later deadlines, better reproductions and color. Now with color they have a way to charge more for the same space in the newspaper.

Presses doubling their speed was the next event to reduce the time to process the newspapers. This should have been a win fall for the editors, but the children stopped them. Less and less youth carriers were willing to deliver papers. In some cases it was because their parents were not willing to drive them around so they could deliver papers weighing over 3 pounds.

The kids could deliver 25 or more papers in 30 to 45 minutes, which was very efficient. Now adults are needed to deliver the paper. Delivering a 25-paper route at the rate youth carriers would accept would not be enough to get an adult to deliver a route. This resulted in very large routes, which took longer time to deliver.

Adding to the problem was the fact people were getting up earlier due to longer commutes to get to work.

Either papers came off the press earlier or there would be huge costs to add in circulation. The publishers were faced with three poor choices: Pay carriers a bunch of money per paper, add additional presses, or push back the deadlines.

The rest is as they say history. The deadlines were moved, at least until additional presses could be installed.

So where has the time gone? After some earlier gains it looks like the editors are not in the time utilization win column created by automation, innovation or invention. They are way ahead in the ability to provide later news and to present it in a package that only magazines could envision.

Circulation clearly has claimed more of the time savings and continues to ask for more … it seems there is no time too early for people to get up and need a newspaper to read.

The sleeper seems to have been the advertising department. It appears advertising have deadlines so early they are not even asking for more time.

The big winner has been the reader and the advertiser. Regardless of which department used the time, it all went to the readers and advertisers benefit, which is, as it should be.