The era of tough competition between large metropolitan dailies has largely passed, because of the demise of many major newspapers. Where nominal competitors do survive, they are sometimes owned by the same company. But Philadelphia is a notable exception. The locally owned Evening Bulletin is now locked in glorious combat with the morning Inquirer, a link in the Knight newspaper chain. Their contest for scoops and readers has produced some of the most colorful and aggressive metropolitan coverage in the country today.
The excitement is of recent vintage. For decades the Bulletin dominated...