Wednesday, May 06, 2009
News of Yore 1949: Hall Takes Title Role
Post Syndicate Name Changed; It's Post-Hall
(E&P, 3/19/49)
Post-Hall Syndicate, Inc., became effective as the new name of New York Post Syndicate, March 1, according to Robert M. Hall, the syndicate's president and genera1 manager since he organized it four years ago.
The company was not incorporated as New York Post Syndicate until August, 1946.
Hall, one of the corporation's principal stockholders, indicated that the change in name was a natural development, more representative of the syndicate's recent activities.
During the past several months, the syndicate has launched new features, including "Tex Austin," an adventure comic, and the "Wizard of Odds," a facts panel; signed on Walt Kelly's original animal comic "Pogo," and has picked up new clients for Columnist Victor Riesel's "Inside Labor," which involved changing the New York outlet to the New York Mirror.
Post-Hall Syndicate is a success story. Hall began it in 1944 with New York Post features such as Earl Wilson's "It Happened Last Night," Sylvia Porter's finance column, "Your Money's Worth," and Samuel Grafton's "I'd Rather Be Right." Within a short time, the syndicate began contracting features on its own, developing the action strips, "Mark Trail," and "Bruce Gentry," and the story-problem comic, "Debbie Dean."
The syndicate also obtained such features as Herblock's editorial cartoons, Elise Morrow's "Capital Capers," Pierre de Rohan's "Man in the Kitchen," Sterling North's book reviews, Major George Fielding Eliot's discussions of defense and tactics, Margene Danch's "May Mian," and Jimmy Cannon's sports column.
Hall was formerly sales manager of United Feature Syndicate, which he joined in 1935 directly from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Earlier he had worked for the Providence (R. I.) Journal throughout high school, three years at Northeastern Law School and four years at Brown University.
Labels: News of Yore
