Newspaper Enterprise Association

Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) is an American newspaper syndication service established in 1902. It began in Cleveland, Ohio, as a supplementary news operation serving newspapers owned by the E. W. Scripps Company. In 1907, it began licensing material to newspapers outside the Scripps chain, and by 1909 it had broadened into a general syndicate carrying photographs, features, comics, and other editorial content. The agency expanded rapidly during the early twentieth century. It moved its headquarters from Cleveland to Chicago in 1915 and maintained a San Francisco office. By 1920, it supplied approximately 400 newspapers and offered roughly 100 features; by 1930, its client base had grown to about 700 newspapers. NEA's business model combined centrally produced editorial material with the ability of subscribing newspapers to publish that material as local newspaper content. Its offerings included news reports, women's-page features, fiction, sports writing, political cartoons, humor panels, and serialized comic strips. NEA became particularly influential in newspaper comics. Early successes included The Outbursts of Everett True, while the 1920s and 1930s brought long-running properties such as Our Boarding House, Boots and Her Buddies, Wash Tubbs, Out Our Way, Alley Oop, Captain Easy, and Red Ryder. Later generations of NEA-associated strips included Bugs Bunny, Priscilla's Pop, The Born Loser, Frank and Ernest, Drabble, Arlo and Janis, Big Nate, The Grizzwells, Monty, and Moderately Confused. The agency also distributed editorial cartoons and maintained a recurring Christmas comic-strip program for subscribing newspapers from 1936 through 2010. Sports journalism and recognition programs were another important part of NEA's history. The agency selected college football All-America teams for much of the period from 1924 to 1996 and participated in college basketball All-America selections during selected years. Under sports editor Murray Olderman, NEA developed player-based professional football recognition, including an All-Pro team and awards such as the Jim Thorpe Trophy for Most Valuable Player, the George S. Halas Trophy for Defensive Player of the Year, and the Bert Bell Award for Rookie of the Year. These programs became part of the historical record of professional football honors, although NEA eventually stopped issuing the All-Pro team and later discontinued the MVP trophy. In 1978, Scripps combined NEA with United Feature Syndicate, creating United Media Enterprises. NEA continued as a recognizable syndication label within that structure. In 2011, Scripps reached an arrangement under which Universal Uclick, now Andrews McMeel Syndication, assumed distribution of United Media's comic strips and news features. United Media effectively ceased operating as a separate syndication business, while Scripps retained specified intellectual-property interests. NEA therefore survives primarily as a syndication brand and editorial archive within the Andrews McMeel distribution network rather than as an independent general-news agency.

Newspaper Enterprise Association was founded in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 2, 1902, as a supplementary news-reporting service for newspapers controlled by the Scripps organization. Its initial role was narrower than that of a modern general syndicate: it supplied additional editorial material that could complement the newspapers' own reporting. In 1907, NEA began licensing its material to newspapers outside the Scripps group. Two years later it had developed into a broader syndication service offering not only news, but also photographs, features, and comic material. The company relocated its headquarters to Chicago in 1915 and maintained a western office in San Francisco. Its distribution network grew substantially during the 1910s and 1920s. Around 1920, NEA served approximately 400 newspapers and marketed about 100 features. By 1930, it reportedly had around 700 client newspapers. The agency employed editors, writers, artists, and sports specialists, allowing it to package material across several newspaper departments. Its editorial operation included women's-page content, fiction, sports columns, cartoons, and general features. Comics became the most durable part of NEA's identity. The agency's early success with The Outbursts of Everett True was followed by a particularly productive period in the 1920s and 1930s. Gene Ahern's Our Boarding House, Merrill Blosser's Freckles and His Friends, Edgar Martin's Boots and Her Buddies, Roy Crane's Wash Tubbs and Captain Easy, J. R. Williams's Out Our Way, V. T. Hamlin's Alley Oop, and Red Ryder were among the properties associated with NEA during this era. Charles N. Landon played an important role in developing the art department and recruiting cartoonists, including artists who had trained through his correspondence school. NEA also distributed the work of editorial cartoonist Herbert Block, known as Herblock, during the early part of his career. The agency continued adding widely circulated properties in later decades. Its package included the Bugs Bunny strip beginning in 1942, Priscilla's Pop in 1946, Winthrop in 1955, The Born Loser in 1965, Frank and Ernest in 1972, and Drabble in 1979. A recurring Christmas comic strip, supplied to subscribing newspapers as a seasonal feature, ran annually from 1936 through 2010. These holiday strips used both established NEA characters and stand-alone adaptations or original stories. Sports was another major area of activity. Billy Evans served as sports editor from 1918 to 1928 and wrote the syndicated column Billy Evans Says. Murray Olderman joined the organization in 1952, became sports editor in 1964, and later served as executive and contributing editor. He helped establish the NEA All-Pro team in 1954 and the Jim Thorpe Trophy, an NFL Most Valuable Player award beginning in 1955. NEA also administered or publicized other football honors, including the George S. Halas Trophy for defensive player of the year and the Bert Bell Award for rookie of the year. It selected college football All-America teams for many years and participated in selected college basketball All-America programs. In May 1978, Scripps merged NEA with United Feature Syndicate, which it had established in 1919, to form United Media Enterprises. NEA continued as a recognizable editorial and comics label within United Media. In 2011, Scripps entered into a distribution arrangement with Universal Uclick, subsequently renamed Andrews McMeel Syndication, covering approximately 150 United Media comic strips and news features. United Media ceased to function as a separate syndication operation, but Scripps retained certain copyrights and intellectual-property rights. NEA is consequently best understood today as a continuing syndication brand and catalog distributed through Andrews McMeel rather than as an autonomous wire-service company.

1. 2011Andrews McMeel assumes distribution

   Universal Uclick takes over distribution of United Media's comics and news features.

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2. 2008Jim Thorpe Trophy is discontinued

   The NEA NFL Most Valuable Player trophy ends after Kurt Warner's win.

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3. 1992NEA's player All-Pro team ends

   The agency stops announcing its long-running player-selected NFL All-Pro team.

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4. 1979Drabble launches

   Kevin Fagan's strip begins its long association with NEA distribution.

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5. 1978NEA becomes part of United Media

   Scripps merges NEA and United Feature Syndicate into United Media Enterprises.

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6. 1972Frank and Ernest launches

   Bob Thaves's comic strip debuts as an NEA-distributed feature.

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7. 1965The Born Loser launches

   Art Sansom's comic strip joins the NEA lineup and remains associated with the syndicate.

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8. 1954NEA All-Pro team is established

   Murray Olderman helps create a player-oriented professional football All-Pro selection.

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9. 1942Bugs Bunny strip launches

   NEA begins syndicating a Bugs Bunny newspaper strip that continues for more than five decades.

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10. 1936NEA Christmas-strip program begins

    The agency begins distributing annual holiday comic strips to subscribing newspapers.

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11. 1932Alley Oop launches

    V. T. Hamlin's prehistoric adventure-comedy strip becomes a long-running NEA property.

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12. 1921Our Boarding House is developed

    Gene Ahern introduces the setting and characters that become one of NEA's best-known comic successes.

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13. 1915Headquarters moves to Chicago

    NEA relocates from Cleveland while retaining a San Francisco office.

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14. 1909The service becomes a general syndicate

    Its offering expands to include comics, photographs, and feature material.

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15. 1907External newspaper sales begin

    NEA starts supplying content to newspapers outside the Scripps organization.

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16. 1902NEA is established in Cleveland

    The service begins as a supplementary news operation for Scripps-owned newspapers.

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A long-running newspaper-content supplier whose strongest modern identity is as a comic-strip, cartoon, column, and feature syndication service.

• Comic-strip syndicationNewspaper comics1905

  NEA's most recognizable product is the licensing and distribution of comic strips to newspapers. Its catalog has included long-running properties such as Alley Oop, Our Boarding House, The Born Loser, Frank and Ernest, Arlo and Janis, Big Nate, The Grizzwells, Monty, and Drabble. The service has also carried inherited or rerun material from other syndication catalogs.

• Editorial columns and featuresNewspaper editorial content1902

  NEA supplied subscribing newspapers with centrally produced columns, features, photographs, fiction, women's-page material, and general news content. The service initially supplemented Scripps newspapers and later sold packages to independent newspaper publishers.

• Sports columns and awardsSports syndication1918

  Sports coverage included syndicated writing such as Billy Evans Says and later columns and artwork associated with Murray Olderman. NEA also administered or publicized football honors, including its All-Pro team, the Jim Thorpe Trophy, the George S. Halas Trophy, and the Bert Bell Award.

• NEA Christmas comic stripSeasonal newspaper feature1936

  From 1936 through 2010, NEA provided subscribing newspapers with an annual daily Christmas-themed comic strip. Stories ranged from holiday adaptations to original plots and sometimes used established characters from the agency's regular comic catalog.

• Editorial cartoonsNewspaper cartoons1933

  NEA distributed nationally syndicated editorial cartoons, including work by Herblock, John Fischetti, Murray Olderman, Bill Schorr, Rob Rogers, Matt Davies, and other cartoonists. This offering complemented the agency's humor and comic-strip packages.

• 2011Transfer distribution to Universal UclickStrategy

  Scripps reorganized the distribution of United Media's comic strips and news features.

  What changed. Scripps entered a distribution agreement with Universal Uclick, later known as Andrews McMeel Syndication.

  Aftermath. United Media effectively ceased as a separate syndication operation, while NEA-related content continued through Andrews McMeel and Scripps retained certain intellectual-property rights.

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• 1978Combine NEA with United Feature SyndicateM&A

  Scripps operated two significant syndication arms and reorganized them under a combined structure.

  What changed. NEA and United Feature Syndicate were merged into United Media Enterprises.

  Aftermath. NEA continued as a recognizable brand within United Media while no longer operating as a fully separate Scripps syndication arm.

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• 1907Expand beyond Scripps-owned newspapersStrategy

  NEA began as a service for newspapers within the Scripps organization but sought a wider commercial audience.

  What changed. The agency started licensing its editorial material to non-Scripps newspapers.

  Aftermath. The move supported NEA's development into a general newspaper syndicate with a substantially broader client base.

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• 2011Universal Uclick takes over distribution of United Media features

  A distribution agreement transferred syndication of United Media's comic strips and news features to Universal Uclick, now Andrews McMeel Syndication.

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• 1978Scripps combines NEA and United Feature Syndicate

  The two Scripps syndication operations were merged into United Media Enterprises.

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• 1907NEA opens its content to non-Scripps newspapers

  The agency began selling its material beyond the Scripps newspaper group, expanding its syndication model.

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• 1902Newspaper Enterprise Association begins as a Scripps newspaper service

  NEA was established in Cleveland to provide supplementary news material to Scripps-owned newspapers.

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1. Newspaper Enterprise Association