Newspapers: Resurrection in Portland

A little girl emptied her piggy bank in the news room: $9.13. The Centenary Wilbur Methodist Church deposited a tithe of its Sunday collection —and when that added up to only $8, the ushers made it an even $10. The state headquarters of the Oregon Democratic Party sent a check for $1,000, and the Sisters of St. Mary telephoned to say that they had nothing to give but a prayer. It all seemed that sentimental last week when the Portland Reporter (TIME, March 6) struggled back to life after running its own obituary.

The resurrection of the Reporter, a union tabloid born during Portland's 1959 newspaper strike and dedicated to mortal battle with the city's other two dailies, the Journal and the Oregonian, brought with it a new masthead slogan: "Portland's Own Newspaper." But while the public response was encouraging—circulation increased by at least 2,000 new subscriptions—there was more to it than sentiment.

Unnamed business interests contributed $50,000 in the form of loans. But for all that, the Reporter's renewed lease on life is short-term. The $100,000, said Publisher Robert Webb, will keep the paper going only through May.