at the "Indianapolis Star", which his father had purchased in 1944, and served as aviation editor, assistant city editor, and city editor at the newspaper. In 1948 he was named managing editor of the "Indianapolis News" which Central Newspapers acquired the same year. Pulliam became assistant publisher of both newspapers in 1962. He succeeded Eugene C. Pulliam as publisher of the "Star" and the "News" following his father's death on June 23, 1975. Budget-conscious Pulliam was known for his close scrutiny of the newspaper's expenses, but refused a recommendation from the company's accountants to charge for obituaries: "People get mentioned in the paper only when they are born and when they die," he once said, "so we're not going to charge them for dying."