Self-Made Success

Publisher Alvin Wiehle of the Washington Herald-Telegram writes with brutal candor. When a recent District of Columbia practice blackout flopped, Publisher Wiehle combed the District's hair with a sneering editorial headline: "A blackout? Nuts! A whiteout!" During the recent scrap drive he pressed his editorial trigger again: "The people must conserve, conserve, conserve, but the Government is free to waste what it pleases. Attached to the wall of the public rest station at Dupont Circle are two iron trellises ... at least 40 lb. of good scrap. Why isn't something done?" He also runs pointed society notes: "Well, today Mother decided she'd go out and play bridge (that hated game). When she will come home nobody knows." Publisher Wiehle is twelve.

The newspaper bug bit Alvin Wiehle during a long illness in 1940. At first he made just one weekly copy of his four-page tabloid, printing it by hand in pencil. This year he began to dream of expanding, printed a suggestive notice on Page Two: "Washington, Sept. 14--For his birthday and Christmas, Alvin wants a mimeograph duplicator. . . ." Later Alvin roared gleefully to press with a Monday "extra" proclaiming: A. w. HAS DUPLICATOR--His three older sisters (he has four sisters and two brothers) got it for him.

With the help of 17 paying subscribers he has slowly boosted his little paper into the profit stage, a feat to make any red-ink-stained publisher gape. Last week Alvin was grossing "about 90-c- a week, barely enough to buy materials.

The paper goes to bed at 2 p.m. every Saturday, since that gives Alvin a chance to pilfer late flashes from the noon news broadcasts. Example: his Nov. 14 headline was RICKENBACKER IS RESCUED! It is such enterprise that gains Alvin new customers.

He holds them (a bigger problem) by filling up his inside, well-illustrated pages with snappy editorials, features and intimate, gossipy domestic (mostly Wiehle family) news, all of which he does himself.

Last week the Herald-Telegram reached its second birthday, but there was no special anniversary edition. Said shy, rueful Publisher Wiehle: "I forgot."

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