U. S. Radio (Oct 1957-Dec 1958)

^ HOMETOWN U.S.A. tions was a major reason for the founding of Radio Press, the company states. According to Stewart Barthelmess, vice president and general manager, "At affiliate meetings (Mr. Barthelmess was formerly vice president of ABC Radio) , the point that was continually driven home by stations was the desire and need for olobal and national news." Although formed in August, Radio Press did not launch its sales effort until late October. At press time, the following sales have been reported: WWDC Washington; WADS Ansonia, Conn.; WPTR Albany, and WDEW Westfield, Mass., have ordered news spots to be dropped into regular newscasts. In addition, WBAl-FM New York has bought a three-a-day news shoAV featuring 10 mimiies of world news at 8 a.m., 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. There are three basic means of transmission that Radio Press plans to use to carry its voice ne^vs: Beeper phone, long lines and fm facilities. At the outset, beeper phone Avill probably be the most relied on method because of the higher cost of long lines and the impracticality of fm transmission unless there is a properly spaced string of stations being serviced. All news from Radio Press is transmitted from the New York office. Reports from aroimd the ^vorld and from Washington are phoned in and edited do^\•n for voice transmission to stations. In the cases of WWDC and WADS, ne^^•s spots will be sent to stations twice a dav at 7:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. WWDC will receive them by long lines while the beeper phone will service WADS. Radio Press has a staff of about 12 people in New York and Washington. Staff correspondents are maintained in London, Paris, Rome and Beirut. In addition. Radio Press states, about 4,126 stringers are located in 90 countries. Among the news staff in New York are Lloyd Garrison, formerly of NBC Radio's Monitor and Du Mont Broadcasting Corp., and Ray Weiss, formerly of Associated Press and DuMont. In addition, a second news-gatheriii" service called News Associates Inc. is headed by 1. Herbert Gordon, Avho has spent 15 years in the newspaper business and was Far East editor for International News Service. This outfit services Radio Press with Washington news. Radio Press, however, maintains its own voice man there. Herb Bruback, who "reads" the news fortransmission to New York. News Associates, with headquarters in the National Press Building, George Ham'lton Coombs, Radio Press pres. Stewart Barthelmess, Radio Press v. p. ^\as loinicd alxtut six monlhs ago by four former INS journalists. The organization frinclions as a Washington bureau for radio stations and currently states it lias .30 outlets as clients. The purpose of News Asscxiates is to supply stations — via beeper telephone or tape — with interpretive reporting on Capitol news and to create a personal link between that new-s and the client, especially if there is a local or regional slant to the story. The broadness of the NAI service can be tailored to fit the immediate needs of almost any station. Fees vary according lo ihc amount of news fed lo the outlet. 1 hey depend, too, on the station's size. A station may negotiate for a single daily report with emphasis on either news of a local or regional nature or exclusive national stories. .\.\I also otters a twice-a-day tclc])li()nc(l l)eiper report. Special loverage projects antl exclusive interviews are also available to a client by tape or by phone. On cither a daily or a weekly basis a station may also contrad for a complete Washington roiniil -up news show that runs 5 to 10 minutes. Coverage of all Presidential news conferences is avaiialjle from N.M by tape or phone. Tiic tape version is the President's conuncnts innnediately after White House clearance. Time can run anywiierc up to a liall hour. A phone repoi t dire t Irom the White House runs approximately two minutes and can be phoned to the station within a half b.our after the end of the conference. \e\vest of the N.M news services to be put to the test is a foreign language broadcast. Confident that a sizable market exists for foreign language programming, a decision was made to incorporate a foreign language package into the N.\I service. The news and feature reports are available daily or weekly. Before the package was offered to stations, a number of foreign language experts who, Mr. Gordon stresses, are also reporters, were lined up to handle the assignments as they were requested. At this writing, N.M had just received its first firm order for an Italian program. And on the jieels of it, Mr. Gordon says, came a request from a station for iiifoiiiiation on what NAI might be odering in Polish-language programming. Radio Press, in addition, offers special open-end introductions identifying its correspondents as the station's own reporters. This blending of a national antl international voice news service with a station's own programming is the cornerstone around which Radio Press and News Associates Inc. hope to cement sound corporate structiues. • • • 46 U. S. RADIO • December 1958