The Central Press Association was American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.
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History
Virgil Venice McNitt, the managing editor of the Cleveland Press, founded the Central Press Association at Cleveland in 1910. In 1912, McNitt acquired the Chicago-based North American Press Syndicate and merged it into the Central Press. That same year, McNitt entered into arrangements to publish works authored by William Jennings Bryan and Jane Addams. He hired Bryan to cover the 1912 Republican and Democratic National Conventions for the Central Press. He also made a deal with Addams to circulate her Progressive Party Platforms to newspaper across the country. By 1925, the Central Press's features had 12 million daily readers and was the largest newspaper picture service in the United States. In 1927, the Central Press also took over the Editors Feature Service. Virgil McNitt remained the president and general manager of the Central Press from its founding in 1910 until 1930.
In 1930, McNitt sold the Central Press to the King Features Syndicate, part of the Heart newspaper syndicate. The Central Press Association continued to operate as a separate division of King Features until 1971, when it ceased operations. Murray Rosenblatt was the managing editor of the Central Press from 1946 to 1961. He was preceded as managing editor of the Central Press by Frank McLearn, who became president and general manager of the King Features Syndicate.