the 1.7 billion was in the WP a couple years ago, some have gone as high as 4 billion on the paper. Not sure of the Sunday circulation but when they got to 103,000 they were bragging they were one of the fastest growing papers in the country. (that is because all others were dropping in cir and they had such a small circ that any jump looked good.) They were caught years ago dumping the papers in the dumpster also.
their advertising isn't much...
From “Moonstruck: The Reverend and his Newspaper” by Ann Louise Bardach, an article that was originally to have appeared in Vanity Fair in 1992 but was killed. The article finally saw print in 2004 when included in the book
Killed, Great Journalism Too Hot to Print by David Wallis.
The reverend, who described himself as the Messiah, addressed some 200 staffers, wearing a beige suit and a snug-fitting silk shirt. According to one guest, Moon spoke in a "rapid fire, high pitched peals of oratorical Korean alternating with incomprehensible English," with both languages requiring the translation services of Moon's close ally, Times executive, Bo Hi Pak. Bristling with emotion while thumping the podium, he told a stunned audience that he had already poured a staggering $830 million into the Times. Moreover, he said that he personally raises the $7 million dollars each month needed to keep the paper afloat.
If Moon's figures are correct, they are a record-shattering sum for the newspaper business, surprising previous estimates of $35 million to $50 million annual losses for the paper. Time Life pulled the plug on the Washington Star when its losses hit $30 million while the Dallas Herald owners closed their doors after less than $20 million seeped into the red. ...The paper's most powerful booster, President Reagan, let it be known that he "reads the Times first thing every morning at breakfast." It became apparent that the Reagan administration was doing more than just reading the paper; the Times received numerous leaks and exclusives, including coveted interviews with Reagan. ......
Notably among the paper's(Washington Times) first staffers were the children of conservative luminaries, a group dubbed the "mini-neocons." They included John Podhoretz, whose parents Norman Podhoretz and Midge Dexter are veritable conservative institutions, Liz Kristol, Irving's daughter, Danny Wattenberg, son of Times columnist Ben, and Dawn Weyrich, daughter of conservative icon, Paul Weyrich....
Charlotte Hayes, who wrote a hilarious and snarky memoir in The New Republic entitled "I was Moonie Gossip Columnist," still laments the loss of the generous expense account she had at the paper. "This is on the Rev.," Hayes, a thoroughbred conservative, would tell sources as she lunged for meal checks. "The Times," she added drolly, "is a place for free market conservatives to escape the free market."
CJR described the paper as a "journalistic farm system"...
love the math Lynne....amazing...sure he had a lots of reasons for the paper but that is still amazing...
one last thing... the Wiki pages I have read on the Moon organization read like classic Moon propaganda. Anything negative is couched like Moon's people want it spun. I read one thing that said "perhaps" he funds the paper for political reasons. "PERHAPS"!!!! geez...