From Deseret News archives:

Read all about it: Newspapers sell out

Published: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2008 12:15 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
In Miami's predominantly black Liberty City, newspapers were sold out at stores all along Martin Luther King Blvd., where residents wore Obama T-shirts and waited for buses on corners with hand-painted quotes from the civil-rights leader.

"I've got to put this in a frame because this is history," said Larry Johnson as he searched for a newspaper cover of Obama.

In Miami's diverse South Beach neighborhood, Books & Books manager Vivienne Evans said customers lined up outside even before the store opened.

"People were breaking down the door," she said.

Papers all over the country found crowds of customers outside their buildings clamoring for copies.

The Times decided to print another 75,000 copies for sale in New York as vending machines and retail stores sold out by midmorning. The Tribune restarted its presses for an extra 200,000 — 10 times more than the increase it had planned. The Washington Post decided at midday to publish 350,000 copies of a slimmed-down commemorative edition.

Some papers, such as USA Today, plan to sell reprints of Wednesday's edition through their Web sites.

Story continues below
Many people set aside papers declaring the end of World War II and some still have them stowed away. Others have held onto papers marking the birth of a child, the completion of a marathon, the arrival of a new millennium or the news of tragedies such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In Philadelphia, vendors reported that the election issue was selling better than the commemoration for the Philadelphia Phillies' recent World Series championship.

Washington, D.C., newsstand vendor Tony Portillo refused a tempting offer.

"I got a guy who wanted to buy the whole bundle," Portillo said. "I said, 'I can't sell it. I have more people coming. I'll sell you five."'

At News World in downtown Washington, customers sorted through papers from Boston, Houston and other cities after the Post and Times sold out.

"I got what they had left," said Michael Garner, clutching a copy of The Washington Times as he exited the congested store. He said he planned to frame the front page.

One customer wanted anything that had a picture of Obama's family, while Antoine Napel from Senegal picked up copies of the French newspaper Le Figaro and the Spanish-language La Libertad.

In Cambridge, Mass., the supervisor at Out of Town News regretted he didn't order more.

"If I realized who was going to win, I would have had a lot more papers. I wasn't sure," Richard O'Connor said. "Not slighting Senator McCain, but if he had won, I don't think the sales would have been as great."

Robert Cornelius' U.S. Army footlocker already contains his military discharge papers and yellowed articles on the assassinations of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Robert Kennedy in the 1960s. The 63-year-old Chrysler retiree plans to make room for copies of Wednesday's Detroit News and Detroit Free Press.

"I got them this morning and only paid 50 cents apiece," said Cornelius, who found his copies at a neighborhood market in Detroit. "They are going to be something to pass on to my grandchildren. It's something they can read and say, 'Granddaddy was there.'"

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image
Paul Sancya, Associated Press

Filiberto Magana reads election news in Detroit Wednesday. There was a huge demand across the U.S. for newspapers reporting Obama's victory.

Related content
previousnext

Latest comments

Me and the Mrs. was thinkin' about comin' down to SLC to do a little...

Utes won't respond to Hall

Any unsportsman like conduct is wrong no matter who you our. And as someone...

Cougs begin bowl preparations

I live in Wyoming and fans here hate BYU with a passion, and would love to...

BCS stable at top, Y. up to 14

I'm with you! utwingnut

U. eyes bowl for redemption

Utes don't lose bowl games. Hopefully it's against a challenging team.

Utes won't respond to Hall

Max Hall said, blah blah. Ute fans don't want to talk about the real issue....

Editorial: East, West and religion

The Moslems should welcome free speech. How is their society ever to progress...

I'm a Ute fan and I don't hate Max Hall. I admit that when I first heard his...

I am a BYU fan and bleed blue, But Utah played a better game Saturday, we...

Good and thoughtful article, Amy. Max's lack of wisdom in his comments...

Advertisements