31 Birth of NAC SOON AFTER THE fiscal blood-letting between The Tribune and Deseret News was ended by the establishment of a joint operating agency, John W. Gallivan, then assistant to Fitzpatrick and secretary of The Tribune Publishing Company, was asked, "Why did it happen — why was Newspaper Agency Corporation formed?" His response was, "Why didn't it happen sooner?" 1 This pointedly reflected the reaction of The Tribune management and owners, and presumably that of the Deseret News management and owners, toward the new cooperative arrangement. On The Tribune side, only Fitzpatrick knew such details as who first thought of this particular solution? Who first proposed it? Did one side have to "sell" it to the other? Fitzpatrick never answered such questions in writing or verbally to anyone in The Tribune organization now alive. The first inkling to reach anyone that such a plan was under consideration by the publisher came to Gallivan in the form of a question. Fitzpatrick, in a rather routine manner, asked his chief assistant what he thought of an agency solution to the deepening problem of newspaper survival. Gallivan responded t h a t it would be ideal but added what appeared to him to be the obvious: "But, of course, it would be impossible." Fitzpatrick remarked that he thought something might be worked out and dropped the subject for the time being. 2 It can be presumed from Fitzpatrick's question and from subsequent developments t h a t some exploratory discussions had
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