Evening Star

The working day of the Evening Star, an Ipswich-based newspaper

The film begins at the Suffolk show with shots of the Evening Star stand, where a special edition is printed. At the main offices on the corner of Carr Street and Little Colman Street, Ipswich, a sequence shows the newsroom. The editor is in his office and there are shots inside the reporters' room. A photographer is filmed at an athletics event taking action shots. Back in the offices the librarian assists with enquiries from reporters and feature writers regarding factual information and pictures. The film shows the teleprinting room where the equipment used to receive and send news stories and pictures by wire is seen in use. A sequence shows the sub-editors at work and then the front office where members of the public bring in Small advertisements. Three 'typical' people are shown checking the advertisement pages. The commentary invents scenarios for this. Back in the offices, the Advertising Manager discusses a display advertisement with a client. The film shows the process of preparing the text and photographs ready for printing. The processing department, where photographs are prepared for reproduction and the composing room where the linotype operator is seen at work. The stone hands set the type into forms. The flon is made by placing the raw material over the type, packing it and then placing it under the press. The rotary press and casting machine. It is removed after the molten metal has been applied and has cooled and it is checked by the printer before being carried into the press room. In the press room the newspaper is printed at a rate of 35,000, copies per hour. Periodically the newspapers are checked for quality by the printer. At the packing bench the newspapers are counted and tied by machine.The last sequence shows the distribution of the newspaper. fleets of vans from the Evening Star and the East Anglian Daily Times arrive at the offices to collect bundles of the newspaper. Newspaper boys and some distributors collect their copies direct from the offices. The newspaper sellers are filmed on the streets. The film ends with a shot of the newspaper coming through a letterbox and a display of all the newspapers published by the East Anglian Daily Times.

Featured Buildings

The Headquarters of the East Anglian Daily Times and its sister papers

Featured Events

The Suffolk Show, c. 1953.

Keywords

Newspaper production; Printing

Background Information

The Evening Star was founded in 1885 as The Star Of The East. It celebrated its centenary on February 18th, 1985. The managing editor of the Evening Star, pictured in this film, was Ralph Wilson. The rotary machine seen in the printing of the Star were introduced in 1893.