Moses Koenigsberg
Encyclopedia
Moses Koenigsberg as an executive for William Randolph Hearst
, ran King Features Syndicate
. Comic strip
s, features and news supervised by Koenigsberg appeared in newspapers having a mass circulation of 16,000,000 readers on weekdays and 25,000,000 on Sundays.
He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana
, and his career began at the age of nine when he published a monthly newspaper, The Amateur. When he was 13, he won $100 in a Chamber of Commerce essay competition and began reporting for the San Antonio Times
. He lost that job when he was sued for exposing corruption among prosecuting attorneys, who were taking fines from prostitutes. The suit was dropped, and he moved to Houston to continue his newspaper career as a reporter with the Houston Age and as an editor of Texas World. Relocating in New Orleans, he signed on as a reporter for the New Orleans Item. Back in San Antonio, he launched the Evening Star in 1892. He continued on with newspapers in Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York.
During the Spanish-American War, he served with an Alabama volunteer unit and with the First Division of the Seventh Army Corps in Miami. His book, Southern Martyrs (1898), is about military censorship during that war.
In 1903, he became city editor of Hearst's Chicago American. In 1913, Koenigsberg headed a Hearst subsidiary, Newspaper Feature Service, Inc., to sell Hearst's features and comics to non-Hearst papers.
By 1928, Koenigsberg was the president of International News Service, Universal Service, King Features Syndicate, Premier Syndicate and vice-president of Newspaper Feature Service, all owned by Hearst.
For nine years, Koenigsberg also staged the King Features Syndicates Larks, elaborate annual Friars Club
dinner parties with a six-hour theatrical involving Broadway luminaries. The total expense of each show ran from $14,000 to $25,000. Guests received unusual souvenirs at these events, such as a glass container of liquor inside a walking stick.
In 1941, Frederick A. Stokes Co. published Koenigsberg's memoirs, King News: An Autobiography.
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
, ran King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
. Comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s, features and news supervised by Koenigsberg appeared in newspapers having a mass circulation of 16,000,000 readers on weekdays and 25,000,000 on Sundays.
He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, and his career began at the age of nine when he published a monthly newspaper, The Amateur. When he was 13, he won $100 in a Chamber of Commerce essay competition and began reporting for the San Antonio Times
San Antonio Times
The San Antonio Times is a private Texas-based newspaper. Since its introduction in 1994 , the publication has expanded from less than 50 readers to several thousands....
. He lost that job when he was sued for exposing corruption among prosecuting attorneys, who were taking fines from prostitutes. The suit was dropped, and he moved to Houston to continue his newspaper career as a reporter with the Houston Age and as an editor of Texas World. Relocating in New Orleans, he signed on as a reporter for the New Orleans Item. Back in San Antonio, he launched the Evening Star in 1892. He continued on with newspapers in Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and New York.
During the Spanish-American War, he served with an Alabama volunteer unit and with the First Division of the Seventh Army Corps in Miami. His book, Southern Martyrs (1898), is about military censorship during that war.
In 1903, he became city editor of Hearst's Chicago American. In 1913, Koenigsberg headed a Hearst subsidiary, Newspaper Feature Service, Inc., to sell Hearst's features and comics to non-Hearst papers.
King Features Syndicate
In 1915. King Features Syndicate was launched when Koenigsberg consolidated all of Hearst's syndication enterprises under one banner and gave it his own name (koenig=king).By 1928, Koenigsberg was the president of International News Service, Universal Service, King Features Syndicate, Premier Syndicate and vice-president of Newspaper Feature Service, all owned by Hearst.
For nine years, Koenigsberg also staged the King Features Syndicates Larks, elaborate annual Friars Club
Friars Club
Friars Club can refer to:* The New York Friars' Club* The Friars Club of Beverly Hills* The Friar Society, University of Texas at Austin* The Friars , Louisiana State University* "The Friars Club", a Seinfeld episode...
dinner parties with a six-hour theatrical involving Broadway luminaries. The total expense of each show ran from $14,000 to $25,000. Guests received unusual souvenirs at these events, such as a glass container of liquor inside a walking stick.
In 1941, Frederick A. Stokes Co. published Koenigsberg's memoirs, King News: An Autobiography.