Jun 8, 2023

Weekly Reader


When I was growing up my parents would receive both The Morning Call and The Evening Chronicle.* This was their main source of news. Television in the late 40's and early 50's had national and world news, but there was no local programing in Allentown. The antenna on our roof would receive the three network (ABC, NBC, and CBS) stations from Philadelphia, and that was it. The morning and evening papers provided the local news, in addition to national and world stories. Hess Brothers and Leh's would compete with multiple full page Ads. We children also had our own little paper, Weekly Reader, handed out in the classroom every Friday. I think of it when I get the thin Morning Call on Mondays.

* The Morning Call and Evening Chronicle were both published by same company, Call-Chronicle Newspapers. 

reprinted from March 1, 2010

ADDENDUM JUNE 8, 2023: When my parents received the Call newspapers, and later when I had my own subscription, I never imaged that down the line that I would be writing my own local newsletter. I have been subscribing to the Morning Call for over 50 years, and writing this blog every weekday for 16 years. Unfortunately over these years I have offended some  elected officials and members of the press. Offending people is never the intention, my mission is to examine those things which would otherwise escape scrutiny.

4 comments:

  1. I loved getting the Weekly Reader in elementary school. I am remembering a comic strip with characters called Zip ad Nip.

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  2. Mike: 16 years - how time flies!

    I can’t say I’ve read all the articles over the last 16 years, but I’d say I’ve read most of them.

    I certainly appreciate your focus on Allentown, and bringing us the issues we don’t read about elsewhere (or often BEFORE we read about them elsewhere).

    Thanks again for helping to keep us informed.

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  3. I loved the Weekly Reader too. I was fortunate that my folks sometimes got a summer subscription for me to continue to encourage reading through the summer months. It was expected that we kids be somewhat aware of what was going on in the world- in addition to what Walter Cronkite delivered. In high school I had a friend who’s family expected kids to have some headline, local or national, to be able to speak about at the dinner table. How I wish more parents expected their kids to be aware of the world beyond themselves.

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  4. Isn't a thin morning call an every day thing? Even the Sunday edition is pathetic

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