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Chronicling America
National Endowment for the Humanities

Newspaper Automotive News (Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI) 1938-Current Crain automotive news

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About Automotive News (Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI) 1938-Current

The first issue of Automotive Daily News appeared in New York City on August 27, 1925. It is unclear if Bernarr Macfadden, (born Bernard Adolphus McFadden), a successful publisher of several then-popular magazines owned by his Macfadden Publications, or George Slocum, the Detroit-based advertising manager of the new publication, originated the idea of a paper dedicated to the automobile industry. Slocum, who was already publishing the Michigan Farmer, clearly saw the opportunity for such a paper. Whoever deserves credit for the first issue, in 1933 Slocum and a group of investors formed the Slocum Publishing Company, bought the paper from Macfadden Publications, and moved its office to Detroit.

In 1933, Slocum changed the publication frequency from 5 times a week to 2 times a week. Five years later, in June 1938, the paper became a weekly, with the name changing to Automotive News on the June 4, 1938 edition. When the paper moved to Detroit in 1933 circulation was 5,000. At the beginning of World War II circulation had grown to 12,000. At the close of the war circulation stood at 8,748. After 1942, the paper was the only one exclusively dedicated to documenting the auto industry.

George Slocum died in 1949. His wife, Mabel Slocum, owned the company until 1971, but was not active in the paper’s operation. Pete Wemhoff, who had been managing editor of the publication under George Slocum, ran the paper until 1965, holding various titles. Beginning in 1966 and until 1974, Robert M. Finlay was editor.

In 1971, shortly before she died, Mabel Slocum sold the paper to Crain Communications. The publication is considered the newspaper of record for the automotive industry and the community that surrounds it.

Provided By: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

About this Newspaper

Title

  • Automotive News (Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI) 1938-Current

Other Title

  • Crain automotive news

Dates of Publication

  • 1938-current

Created / Published

  • Detroit, Mich. : Crain Automotive Group
  • Detroit, MI : Crain Communications Inc.

Headings

  • -  Automobiles--Periodicals
  • -  Automobiles
  • -  Hebdomadaires
  • -  United States--Michigan--Wayne--Detroit

Genre

  • Periodicals

Notes

  • -  Weekly, <2007->
  • -  Began in June 1938.
  • -  One issue a year has title: Market data book.
  • -  Has supplement called: Automotive marketer.
  • -  At head of title: Crain.
  • -  Archived issues are available in digital format from the Library of Congress Chronicling America online collection.
  • -  June 28, 2021.

Medium

  • volumes : illustrations ; 37-39 cm

Call Number/Physical Location

  • TL1 .A865

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 77618337

OCLC Number

  • 1518922

ISSN Number

  • 0005-1551

Additional Metadata Formats

Availability

Rights & Access

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Automotive News Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI -Current. (Detroit, MI), Jan. 1 1938. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/77618337/.

APA citation style:

(1938, January 1) Automotive News Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI -Current. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/77618337/.

MLA citation style:

Automotive News Detroit, Mich.; Detroit, MI -Current. (Detroit, MI) 1 Jan. 1938. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, aj.sunback.homes/item/77618337/.