The Making of McPaper: The Inside Story of USA Today

Newsweek once derisively referred to USA Today as ""McPaper, the Big Mac of Journalism.'' But subsequent developments indicate that Americans have taken to this first national, general-interest daily newspaper virtually everywhere except New York and Washington and that its circulation is now among the three largest in the country. In this history, Prichard, a USA Today staffer, covers the planning sessions for the Gannett-chain paper, evidently based largely on corporate president Allen Neuharth's successful launch of a paper in the Cape Kennedy area; the role of Neuharth in driving the project to reality; the problems of circulation and distribution; the staggering difficulty of luring advertisers; and the huge deficits the paper racked up in its early years. A company history, the tone of the writing is rather fevered, and it is clear that this is not the work of an entirely objective reporter. Photos not seen by PW. (September 15)