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UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION and Commercial Newspapers. Ward had once been assistant manager of Stevens and Wallis, Inc., which was both an advertising agency and a commercial printing firm. He was credited with persuading publishers to make commissionable by the central office some of their "bread-and-butter" accounts, such as banks and utilities, thus funding the manager's efforts to create new sales. His philosophy, which most newsmen accepted, was "by turning over $50,000 in old business, you can go out and get $350,000 in additional business." Although the concept proved to be practical, not all publishers in succeeding years have wholeheartedly endorsed it. Some "national" advertisers have been asked by community papers to place their business directly, by-passing the office and eliminating its commission. Fortunately, they've been few in number and the remainder of the association has been steadfast in support of the sales program. Ward's six-year term ended in April, 1955, when he resigned to open his own advertising agency. At that time, Gordon P. Owen, Jr., a University of Utah journalism graduate of that year, became USPA's manager. His tenure would be the longest in the group's history, for he guided association activities until May, 1970. In 1967-68 he had the distinction of serving as president of Newspaper Association Managers, the only Utahn to hold that position. He had also been active in the leadership of American Newspaper Representatives. Owen was a grandson of Walter Webb, who had called the founding meeting in Lehi, but to this day is puzzled that his grandfather told him nothing about involvement with USPA's beginnings until he'd been the GORDON OWEN, JR. - was prexy of national managers. 302 |
