Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly - S1E05 - Getting Personal in the Classified Ads

Episode Date: February 5, 2012

This episode is about the history of the classified ads. We trace the very first classified ad in North America through to the explosion of classifieds online. At any given time, a glance at the classifieds tells us a lot. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi, it's Terry O'Reilly. As you may know, we've been producing a lot of bonus episodes while under the influences on hiatus. They're called the Beatleology Interviews, where I talk to people who knew the Beatles, work with them, love them, and the authors who write about them. Well, the Beatleology Interviews have become a hit, so we are spinning it out to be a standalone podcast series. You've already heard conversations with people like actors Mark Hamill, Malcolm McDowell, and Beatles confidant Astrid Kershaw. But coming up, I talk to May Pang, who dated John Lennon in the mid-70s. I talk to double fantasy guitarist Earl Slick, Apple Records creative director John Kosh. I'll be talking to Jan Hayworth,

who designed the Sgt. Pepper album cover. Very cool. And I'll talk to singer Dion, who is one of only five people still alive who were on the Sgt. Pepper cover. And two of those people were Beatles. The stories they tell are amazing. So thank you for making this series such a success. And please do me a favor, follow the Beatleology interviews on your podcast app. You don't even have to be a huge Beatles fan. You just have to love storytelling. Subscribe now and don't miss a single beat. new year new me season is here and honestly we're already over it enter felix the health care company helping canadians take a different approach to weight loss this year weight loss is more than just diet and exercise it can be about tackling genetics hormones metabolism felix

gets it they connect you with licensed healthcare practitioners online who'll create a personalized treatment plan that pairs your healthy lifestyle with a little help and a little extra support. Start your visit today at felix.ca. That's F-E-L-I-X dot C-A. From the Under the Influence digital box set, this episode is from Season 1, 2012. I love it in its... You're a decent waiter that no, no, no! You're not you when you're hungry. You're in good hands with all things. You're under the influence with Terry O'Reilly. Lost.

Small boy, about four years of age, light complexion and curly hair. A suitable reward will be given by returning him to E.L. Joyce Central Police Station. That small classified ad was to be the beginning of one of the most famous child abduction cases of all time. The small boy was Charlie Ross, and his abduction would be the first to gain widespread public attention in America, because itduction would be the first to gain widespread public attention in America, because it was to be the first recorded demand for a ransom. On July 1, 1874, four-year-old Charlie Ross and his older brother Walter

were playing in their front yard in Philadelphia. A horse-drawn carriage ridden by two men offered the boys candy and fireworks if they would take a ride with them. So the boys did. The men would later let Walter go, but little Charlie was not so fortunate. Soon after, Christian Ross, Charlie's father, received America's first recorded ransom note, asking for $20,000. Ross would receive a series of crude, hand-scrawled ransom letters

through the mail where he was always instructed to respond in a very specific way through the classified ads. It didn't take long for the press to catch on to what was happening in its classified pages

and soon the public was utterly fascinated with the case, and soon the public was utterly fascinated with the case, reading the back pages for developments. But the eventual ransom drop was bungled, communication broke down, and the ransom notes stopped coming. Years later, the kidnappers were eventually found when they were gunned down during a random robbery. One was shot dead, and as the other lay dying, he admitted they were the ones who had kidnapped Charlie Ross. Alas, they were his final words.

Little Charlie Ross was never found. It would haunt America for decades. It was also a case that would inspire many screenwriters and authors, as ransom notes in the classified ads would become a staple dramatic device from that day forward. There is no doubt the classified ad is the cultural signpost of our time. Throughout the decades, it has recorded our journey, our losses, our fines, our jobs, our homes, our possessions, our wants, desires, and in many cases, our lovers. Everyone's life has been touched by the classified ads.

Chances are you've either placed a classified ad at some point or you've responded to one. But the most fascinating part of all is that those smallest of small space ads say so much about us. You're under the influence. Classified advertising is not a recent phenomenon. Centuries before the printing press was invented, classified ads could be found all over Europe. When I was in Italy a few years ago, I toured the ruins of Pompeii,

which was destroyed and completely buried under the volcanic ash of Mount Vesuvius. And there on the unearthed buildings, remarkably, were rudimentary classified advertisements painted on the walls, listings for local house rentals and various services offering their wares. And that was in the year A.D. 79. Fast forward ahead to the 15th century. I think you overshot it, Keith. Sorry.

There you go. Classified ads began appearing in England in the 1600s. They were handwritten and nailed to posts. Some of the first copywriters in recorded history appeared at this time. Except they weren't called copywriters. They were called scribes. They made their living writing announcements, which were, for all intents and purposes, classified ads.

And these ads weren't called ads. They were called seques. That term was borrowed from ancient Rome, where most posted notices began with the words sequis, meaning, if anybody knows of lodging for a single man, can pay four shillings and two pence sterling. Please leave word with proprietor herein. Skip ahead to 17th century America.

Nailed it! Now he's getting cocky. As Sarah Bader tells the story, in her excellent history of the classifieds, titled Strange Red Cow, the first printing press in America arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1638. But the first successful newspaper wasn't established until 1704, called the Boston Newsletter. America's very first classified ad appeared in its debut issue and was written by the publisher himself.

To all persons who have any houses, lands, tenements, farms, ships, vessels, goods, wares, farms, ships, vessels, goods, wares or merchandises to be sold or let may have the same inserted at a reasonable rate. It worked. In the next issue, a reader placed an ad for two lost anvils. It was a very revealing ad for the times

because anvils were critical to life and progress in 1704. Without an anvil, a blacksmith couldn't fashion a number of practical objects like knives and forks, shovels, latches, nails, chains, anchors, wagon rims, and horseshoes. That meant doors couldn't be hung, fields couldn't be plowed, and hammers lay silent. The third issue of the Boston Newsletter attracted two more classified ads,

one for stolen clothing, and another that would signal the start of what would eventually become the biggest of all classified columns, the first real estate ad. It offered to sell or lease property on Long Island's Oyster Bay. By 1765, 11 of 13 colonies boasted 23 weekly newspapers, and classified ads were a popular feature of the back page.

Lost and Found soon became one of the biggest columns. As Sarah Bader notes, classified ads give us precious details about the shape, color, size, and value of items of every era. Like what a snuff box was made of, what kind of fabric was used to line a 19th century cloak, and what the contents were of a Civil War soldier's saddlebag. Remarkably, so much of what was advertised in those early classifieds

is amusingly familiar. People forgot books in carriages, left coats in theaters, umbrellas in bars, and dropped keys from their pockets. As the Industrial Revolution gave rise to a consumer economy, classified ads suddenly featured luxury items. This signaled a huge change,

as prior to this time, all items advertised were practical, plain, and utilitarian. But now, factories were producing gold bracelets, embroidered handkerchiefs, and hair jewelry. With that, thousands moved from the farm to the city to work in those

ever-expanding factories and thus a middle class was born. It was at this moment in history that advertising saw its future as objects began to take on symbolic meanings for the first time. A hair clip was no longer just a hair clip. It was a piece of jewelry that said something about you and your station in life.

A silver cane announced your bank account as you entered a room. And the quality of your cloak determined what seat you got at a dining establishment. Last, in the ladies' dressing room at the Academy of Music, Thursday evening. A white merino opera cloak, white silk lining bordered with swans down. A liberal reward will be paid on its return. Classified ads never looked back. The first electric subway cars were introduced in Boston in 1897, then New York in 1904. With thousands now using mass transit, stacks of lost items piled up on its seats.

A gold mine for the classifieds. Found on July 31st and August 1st on the 2nd Avenue Elevated Trade. A hat, three satchels, irons, purses, a shoe, a knife, a shawl, a vest, a baseball glove, a shirt, a file and chisel, a bag, an umbrella. It was about this time that lost animals began appearing in the classifieds. In the beginning, it was mostly farm animals, like stray horses and sheep. But as the population exploded, animals started to become pets.

Dogs were the first to be taken inside the house. As Bader notes, the emotional distance that was a hallmark of the 18th century lost animal ads showed signs of disappearing, as this ad attests. Ten dollar reward. A black and tan dog. Ears cropped.

Answers to the name of Topsy. Had when she left home a fancy leather collar with small bell attached. An answer to this is earnestly requested for the sake of our two little boys, who are very much attached to the dog. The classified ads were now one of the most read parts of a newspaper, reuniting people with pets, articles, and long-lost relatives. They also helped people buy and sell items and property. It was a small space marketplace that united a large community.

But classified ads were about to explode again with the emergence of an entirely new need to advertise. Runaway slaves. Historians generally agree that, in the year 1619, a Dutch warship carrying African slaves docked in Jamestown, Virginia. The crew of the ship was starving, so colonist John Rolfe, husband of Pocahontas, traded 20 African slaves for food and supplies. These 20 Africans were considered the first permanent slaves in North America. By 1800, there were over one million slaves living in the United States.

Slavery would mark the cultural, economic, and political underpinnings of American life for more than two and a half centuries. As a matter of fact, nine of the first twelve presidents owned slaves, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson. Many slaves, of course, tried to run away to gain their freedom, and slave owners would then place classified ads to find them. George Washington alone owned over 300 slaves, and when a few of them fled his plantation, he composed this ad and posted it in the Maryland Gazette in 1761.

Ran away from the plantation of the subscriber on Sunday the 9th, the following Negroes. Jack, 30 years old, cuts down each cheek, large feet. ran away from the plantation of the subscriber on Sunday the 9th. The following Negroes. Jack, 30 years old, cuts down each cheek, large feet. Neptune, age 25, thin-jawed, head shaved. And Cupid, 23 years old, well-made, full-faced, broad teeth, skin inclined to be pimply. Whoever apprehends said Negroes shall have 40 shillings reward, paid them by George Washington.

By the eve of the Civil War, there were over 4 million slaves in America, and with constant runaways, the classified ads burst at the seams. Until, of course, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, proclaiming the freedom of the nation's slaves. Soon, classified ads in newspapers began functioning as a crime-solving tool, used by both the authorities and citizens to solicit the public in a search for clues. One of the most famous was after Abraham Lincoln himself was murdered. While the government offered $100,000 for the arrest of his assassin,

a private advertiser offered additional incentive in the classifieds. A reward of $75 will be paid in addition to the sum already offered for the arrest of villain J. Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln, late President of the United States, at Ford's Theatre on the evening of the 14th of April, 1865. Posted by George W.M. Matthews. As the population grew, so did the classified columns. And we'll be right back.

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with iGaming Ontario. If you're enjoying this episode, why not dip into our archives, available wherever you download your pods. Go to terryoreilly.ca for a master episode list. More than 40 million immigrants poured into Canada and the U.S. between 1820 and 1930. Thus began an explosion in help-wanted ads. And along with that swelling population came a need to court. The first personal ad had actually appeared back in 1759. Any young lady between the age of 18 and 23 with brown hair, regular features, and of good morals

leave a line where an interview may be had to meet with a person who flatters himself, that he shall not be thought disagreeable by any lady answering the above description. That ad was quietly posted between a lost purse and a real estate notice, but it signaled the future of dating. Men and women unable to meet anyone through conventional routes such as church, work, and social networks took to advertising.

Young lady, 17 years of age and possessed of a moderate fortune, is desirous of opening a correspondence with some gentleman with a view to matrimony. Gentleman must not be more than twenty-five years old, possess a fine intellectual countenance, and above all, must have love of a moustache. Well, she knew what she liked. A gentleman, young, with a fair portion of cash and large expectations, desires to make some good and handsome girl his wife. Old maids, widows, and ugly women over 18 need not respond. Alrighty then. A young lady of great beauty and lavishly endowed desires correspondence with a view to matrimony. Hot stuff for 1862. With the exception of runaway slave ads, very little has changed in the world of classified ads to this day. We still buy, sell, trade, gain employment,

and search for lost items. But maybe above all, personal ads are the greatest bridge to the present. As every copywriter will tell you, summing up the essence of a product is nearly impossible in a short ad. But if getting attention is the name of the game, then writers of personal ads could teach the pros a thing or two. And some of the most amusing are found in the London Review of Books, or the LRB.

Established in 1979, it's a bi-weekly British magazine of literary and intellectual essays, with contributors such as Martin Amis, Tony Blair, and Salman Rushdie. In 1998, the LRB began offering personal ads with the simple thought of helping people with similar literary and cultural tastes get together. The first ad they received was from a man looking for, quote, So much for similar literary and cultural tastes. The only way to respond to the personal ads in the LRB is with handwritten letters,

which means they are very personal in nature and are open to analysis. People's handwriting, the choice of letterhead, the paper stock itself, the smells that cling to the paper, all offer the recipient delicious clues that digital sites can't match. While other personal ads seem populated by those who like long romantic walks on the beach, the readers of the LRB are different.

They instinctively know that the mere 30 words they are allotted have to capture one thing above all, a glimpse of their personality. In his hilarious book titled, Sexually, I'm More of a Switzerland, LRB editor David Rose published some of the best personal ads from his publication. This advert is about as close as I come to meaningful interaction with other adults.

Woman, 51, not good at parties, but tremendous breasts. I'd say that's persuasive. While male readers of the LRB continue to seek gorgeous, sexually charged mates, women, on the other hand, have learned to lower the bar. Attractive, cultured woman looking for a man whose maximum life isn't pull my finger or smelt it, dealt it.

Reply to box number 127. While ads for a spouse in the 19th century specified annual incomes and highly desirable physical attributes. LRB personal ads are injected with flat-out honesty. My hobbies include crying and hating men. Female, 29, reply to box number 862. Young, charming, thoughtful, attractive, sporty, zesty, intelligent.

None of these are me. Reply to box 927. Yes, the London Review of Books personal ads are endlessly fascinating. It's interesting to note that the most used adjectives by men in personal ads are attractive, handsome, and discreet. But in the LRB, the most used male adjective was divorced. For women, it's attractive and highly strung. Men's preferences of characteristics in a mate are in order, commitment, attractiveness, social skills, resources, and sexiness. Women's preferences were the same,

except attractiveness was pushed all the way down the list to second from the bottom. Both rated sexiness dead last. While physical description in personal ads has remained a staple since the 1700s, the classifieds have undergone a huge transformation, thanks to the Internet. Sites like Craigslist have crippled newspapers. As the ninth most visited site on the web, Craigslist attracts over 80 million new classified

ads each month, making it the leading classified service in the world. As for personal ads, sites like eHarmony boast over 33 million members, with 15,000 signing up every day. When you find true love, you find so many other gifts that you never even expected. The way she laughs at my jokes. She just cracks me up.

I love laughing with her. Lauren and I's romance is just like a volcano of love. She brings out the best in me because of who she is. Experience the passion and joy of being matched based on deep compatibility. Their website says 542 people marry every day after meeting on eHarmony. Revenue tops $1 billion. Contrast that to Ashley Madison, the classified website for those

who want to cheat on their partners. Slogan? Life is short, have an affair. Yes, I'm ready to live my life Do something for myself Like f***ing someone else's wife I can't wait to decide There's nothing that I haven't tried

Except Ashley Madison They claim 10 million very discreet members. CEO Noel Biderman chose the name Ashley Madison based on the fact that Ashley and Madison are two of the top-ranked girls' names. Recently, Biderman offered the city of Phoenix, Arizona $10 million to rename the Sky Harbor Airport the Ashley Madison International Airport.

Even though the city was in financial trouble, it rejected the offer. In past decades, newspapers would run pages of classified ads. The Sunday New York Times would run over 100 pages alone. The Los Angeles Times once boasted that it would take a reader over 24 hours to read all of the classified ads in a single daily issue of that paper. But the migration of classified ads to online over the last 10 years has had a profound effect on the newspaper industry.

Nearly $14 billion in ads vaporized between 2005 and 2010, resulting in a staggering 90% drop in classified business. You'd have to go all the way back to 1965 to find lower revenues in the newspaper industry. It's a full-circle moment for newspapers, the pioneering medium that spawned the classifieds as we know it. The foundation of those small space ads that underpin the newspaper industry is now crumbling beneath those mighty institutions.

The very first classified ad was for two stolen anvils. And today, the very classified section has been stolen by the Internet. The classified ads are often overlooked when advertising itself is being analyzed and debated. Yet, more classified ads are probably written and placed than any other form of advertising. Because of their timeliness and urgency, classifieds give us a perfect snapshot of our culture at every beat in time. From searches for misplaced Civil War saddlebags and runaway slaves, to jobs wanted in the Depression,

to workers wanted in the 1950s, to lost yoga mats falling off scooters in the 21st century, those small space ads have documented our journey. Classifieds are, as David Rose says, a test of wit and audacity. A writer must use the suffocating constraint of 30 words or less to grab attention on a page riddled with similar ads. I guess you could argue that classifieds spawned Twitter. But even 30 words can deliver so much humor.

Like, Wanted. Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. You will get paid after we get back. Bring your own weapons. I have only done this once before. Or hope. For sale. Tombstone. Standard gray color. Great buy for someone named Grady. Or, in the case of little Charlie Ross, those 30 words can break your heart. But one thing is for sure. If advertising is the big mirror of our society,

then the classifieds are the microscopes. When you're under the influence. I'm Terry O'Reilly. Oh, yes. I'd like to lodge a complaint about the show Under the Influence, okay? First of all, if I'm not mistaken, it was a program about advertising. Are you aware of that there? Now, the culprits seem to be a writer named Terry O'Reilly,

a sound engineer, whatever the heck that is, called Keith Ullman. And two music people named Ari Posner and Ian Lefevre. As if those are their real names. Yeah. And I distinctly heard the words, tremendous breasts, in this episode. Which is the only good thing about it. Bet MGM, authorized gaming partner of the NBA, has your back all season long. From tip-off to the final buzzer,

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