WHAT IT COSTS TO GET NEWS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 71, 16 December 1937, Page 15

WHAT IT COSTS TO GET NEWS

The London Daily Express Organisation USE OF RADIO STATION Interesting figures were Tecently given in the Daily. Express, London, of the cost of getting news, The paper stated that up to the end of June jthe Spanish oivU war had cost £15,000 for special coverage. This sum was exclusive of the salaries of the ataff and the payments .to the news agenciee. Typical items: '-'In Spain oue *otor oar journey may cost any thmg from £40 to £60. Noel Monks had to hire & boat of Bilbao. That appears in the ledger at £40." The Abyssinian war cost more .tnan £10,000 to xeport. "A. lot of money was wasted. Cables were held up, delayed, so when they arrived they were useless. O. D. Gallagher sent one that was -field up and arrived in Fleet Street a fortnigfit later, and tfiere's notfiing so dead as dead news. But tfiat cable, of wfiicfi not a line was used, cost £132. Galagfier's 'caravan' for the journey into tfie interior cost about £500." Foreign news costs fiave risen alarm- • ingly. Since Hitler came to power foreign costs in cables and merely getting news fiave jumped from £700 a week in 1933 to £1200 a week now. Tfio pictures and story of tfie Hindonburg disaster, flown across tfie Atlantic by Merrill, cost £500. A picture by radio from New York costs £25, and an extra fee of £10 for its exclusive use. Tfie most interesting disclosure made by the Express, fiowever, is tfiat for many montfis it fias been operating its own all-world radio station from outside London, and by tfiis means fias been able to beat cable, tape and telepfione resources in race for news. The towers of tfie radio station, says tfie express, carry four aerials 100ft higfi, and were for a number of montfis a mystery to villagers and visitors. "Four powerful receiving sets are housed in tfie fiut beneatfi tfie aerials. Two, tuned in to Continental countries ea wavelengtfis from 15 to 2000 metres, cring news in German, Russian, Italian, Spanish and fialf a dozen other languages. Two more, witfi a range from 10 to 180 meters, comb the Uniteci States, tfie Soutfi American republics, Japan and Australia for free-for-all broadcasts r>f news and opinion. r'hshlvnn and iwere killed in tfie explosion tfiat wreck--ed a Texas school last March the Daily Express received the news before tfie fastest cable brougfit it to tfie office. "Wfien Asturian miners fled to tfie sewers of a Spanisfi city and turned to figfit in them the Express. /jradio fieard it first. "Tfie operators listen-in 24 hours a day. Tfiey take down in sfiorthand wfiat tfiey fiear, and telepfione tfieir messages to tfie Express in Fleet Street. Tfiey follow the sun around tfie world — from Japan across Europe, actrosa the Atlantic, across tfie Americas, and over tfie Pacific back to Japan." In giving tfie news of tfieir radio station, tfie Express concluded that ha day must come wfien every progressive newspaper will make use of tfie world 's radio to augment its sources of news, comment and opinion. The Daily Express fias increased its advertising rate from £6 per single column incfi to £6 10s. It is stated that tfie newsprint position fias not ,been responsible. The circulatibn is i considered to justif y' the higfier charge.