The Sunday Paper

The Sunday paper transformed the weekday edition with inserts and supplements of all shapes and sizes, extended beyond print into newsreels and radio broadcasts. The Sunday paper became so large and voluminous it needed to be organized: managed and collected over time, shared across an entire family. It transformed metropolitan, commercial culture into national popular culture. Everyone was invited to enjoy it, despite ever-present racist stereotypes and sexist caricatures in comic strips and advertising. The most popular Sunday features were nationally known, even before widespread syndication. Part One of The Sunday Paper explores subscription as media relationships between the paper and its readers. Part Two investigates circulation as an extension of the paper into audio-visual media. Part Three proposes syndication laid a foundation for network broadcasting by making the Sunday paper central to the American mass market and popular culture. A brief conclusion considers digital engagement with newspapers today, with the Sunday paper all but dead. Historically, the Sunday edition aimed to overcome the constraints of newsprint entirely. Now accompanied by streams of podcasts, video and commentary, news still contains the crafty combination of information, entertainment, and promotion that animated the Sunday paper in the past.