Hanson, only 33 years old, was already an accomplished newspaperman, having at age 11 founded the "City Item" in Macon, Georgia, which he sold four years later for $2,500. Hanson helped modernize the newspaper's format, tone and operations and oversaw an increase in subscriptions from 18,000 in 1910 to 40,000 in 1914, when he boldly claimed the title of "The South's Greatest Newspaper". In 1912, the evening paper launched a Sunday edition in direct competition with the morning "Age-Herald". By 1920, the "News" dominated the lucrative Sunday market. Its edition had a circulation of 48,055, compared to 29,795 for the "Age-Herald".