Both the _Eros_ case and the Goldwater case made the American public examine some far-reaching questions: What is obscene? What is libelous? Ginzburg helped to establish new definitions for these terms, and in so doing, widened the power of the press.
_Avant-Garde_, his third publication, existed from 1967 to 1970. "It was born during the Vietnam uprising in this country," he explains. "It was a magazine of art and politics, and had no ad revenue."
In the same year that _Avant-Garde_ folded, he began a newsletter called _Moneysworth_. Soon it expanded into a full-sized newspaper. "It was launched," says Ginzburg, "because we felt that the only existing periodical in the area of consumer interest -- _Consumer Reports_ -- wasn't broad enough. Spending money is more than buying appliances."
While _Moneysworth_ does carry many valuable tips on personal finance, it also has a considerable amount of sensationalism that would seem at home in the _National Enquirer_. Even so, Ginzburg's managerial skills, his nonstop working habits, and his literary expertise -- he has written several books -- have made _Moneysworth_ a winner. Using the same staff of 40, along with many free-lance writers, he now publishes two other monthly newspapers as well, _American Business_ and Extra!
He has been a Westsider for 15 years, and his publishing company, Avant-Garde Media, is located on West 57th Street.
If Ginzburg has a single goal right now, it's "to saved up enough money to enable me to put out a periodical exactly like _Avant-Garde_ was. It was pure pleasure for me: there was no commercial compromise. But even though this is a multimillion-dollar corporation here, I can't afford it at the moment. ... Money is important in publishing. I have to spend 99 percent of my time and effort chasing the buck. I guess I'm lucky. Most people spend 100 percent of their time that way."
EASTSIDER LILLIAN GISH 78 years in show business
D.W. Griffith, the father of motion pictures, used to say there were only two people who outworked him -- Mary Pickford and Lillian Gish. Pickford, who died last May, made her final film in 1933. But Lillian Gish never got around to retiring. At 83, she is perhaps the most active living legend in America.