By Bruce Klauber
As a member in reasonably good standing of the Atlantic City press corps since the mid-1980s, it would seem that the Press Club of Atlantic City was an organization I should know something about. I did not, but now I do.
The Press Club, founded in 1888, is said to be the oldest journalism organization in the United States. In that year and in the immediate years following, there were dozens of newspapers being published in our area, which certainly warranted the formation of a press club.
The Press of Atlantic City, still publishing, albeit on a limited basis, was founded in 1895 as the Atlantic City Daily Press. Others published at that time included the Atlantic Journal, founded in Mays Landing in 1860; Hammonton’s South Jersey Republican (1863 through 1923), Mays Landing Record (1877 to 1906), Atlantic County Record (1908 through 1917), South Jersey Star (1917 to 1923), Pleasantville Press (1912 to 1929), and Pleasantville Weekly Press (1892 through 1911).
There were others, before and after, published in Somers Point, Egg Harbor Township and Egg Harbor City. Given all that newspaper publishing activity at the time, the formation of the Press Club of Atlantic City made a great deal of sense.
The club describes itself as “a social club that provides a space for individuals to gather and engage in discussions and activities related to journalism and media, and a club that offers a welcoming environment for networking and fostering connections within the local media community.” What member of the press wouldn’t want to join?
However, there is more to the Press Club than just a social gathering place. One of the organization’s biggest contributions is the National Headliners Awards, instituted in 1933 as a fund-raising arm of the Press Club, with the funds initially earmarked toward entertaining influential visitors.
In a 1933 meeting of the Press Club, Atlantic City Mayor Harry Bacharach said the club should sponsor “some kind of movement to pay more attention to distinguished visitors; with the upside being that the city would secure more goodwill nationally and internationally.”
The following year, the club expanded its activities within that realm. A press release issued at that time stated: “Atlantic City Press Club invites dozens of the foremost news personalities from the newspaper, radio and newsreel industries for the ‘National Headliners Frolic,’ a three-day, all-expenses-paid June junket. NBC Radio broadcasts the banquet with speeches from leading journalists and news executives. Participants get parties, sailing trips, a golf tournament at the historic Atlantic City Country Club, rolling chair excursions and floor shows.”
Ninety journalists participated. The Atlantic City Press deemed it a tremendous success, announcing that “Plans are already underway to make it one of the city’s permanent gestures of hospitality.”
If the notion of trips and parties in exchange for good press seems like a violation of the sacred trust of journalism, bear in mind that it was pretty common for the time. Today, it might be called “lobbying.”
In 1936, the Headliners group hit its stride, giving out National Headliner Awards for, as the club described it, “shoe leather reporting.”
The awards, given out to journalists and newspapers all over the country, made national news through the decades. The earlier ceremonies were broadcast live on CBS Radio, which eventually morphed into an early version of today’s “Meet the Press,” first broadcast from Atlantic City in 1947.
The fame and the scope of the National Headliner Awards continued to grow. By 1951 there were 1,400 entries in the contest, adjudicated by eight print judges to determine 17 winners. Though Atlantic City’s fortunes declined after the mid-1960s, the organization and the awards galas continued to thrive.
In 1975, when Atlantic City was, perhaps, at its lowest ebb — gaming wouldn’t be legalized until a year later — 400 people were in attendance at the awards ceremony, held at the old Howard Johnson’s Regency. The speaker was then California Gov. Ronald Reagan.
By 2006, it was estimated that more than 1,600 awards were given out, some in new, digital categories that included “visual applications.”
This year, the Headliners’ 90th anniversary included a digital entry competition with 18 categories, including “Best Community/Local Website” award.
In retrospect, the Press Club and the Headliners organization had the foresight to expand the awards from regional to national, and to expand their original mission of simply entertaining influential visitors to Atlantic City. That’s because, as of this writing, Atlantic City does not have a daily newspaper.
This may be old news, but last February, the Press of Atlantic City announced that the newspaper would only be published on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, though Publisher Buzz Keough did expand its digital presence.
Though print media is having its challenges all over the country, there is no doubt that the Press Club of Atlantic City and the Headliner Awards will continue. There is also no doubt that Shore Local Newsmagazine – flourishing and vital despite national trends — becomes more valuable with each issue.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
