The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-07-21
TELEPHONE JOURNALISM.
The Alleged Editor in BUDAPEST Who
Spouts the News to His Subscribers


BUDAPEST, July THE capital of
Hungary where | am now spending a
few days, has distinguished itself among
the cities Of the globe by establishing a
telephone newspaper, which has now
been in existence some months, and is
extending its plans and hopes. The
Oriental Re0ie1g of this city for April
80 gives a long account of what this
novel enterprise has done and may do,
which | am sure will interest my
readers The whole city of 500, 900
people-as large as Boston (and, may
add, quite as handsome and better
served with street railways, is divided
into eight sections for the purposes OF
this telephone editor, and each Of the
sections has one conducting wire. The
apparatus in each house occupies a
space of about five inches square and
has two tubes, SO that two members OF
the family can get the news at once.
The whole cost of putting 1t in is So,
and each subscriber pays a rate of sixty
cents a month for the special news
paper service.
The news collector does his work in
the night as elsewhere, and at 9 A. M.
he takes his post in the central station
and begins to tell his story ''in tele-
graphic style, summary and precise
avoiding everything superfluous." AT
the end of five minutes, fearing lest
some of his subscribers might not have
heard everything, he repeats his budget
of news, word for word-mostly con
corning some events and news of Hun
gary. AT 10 o'clock he issues another
oral edition, this time of foreign news
AT II o'clock he lets US know that the
Hungarian Parliament is in session.
and may mention what is being de
bated. But word may also come of a
riot, and by noon the alarmed sub
scriber may hear that the populace
have attacked the police and have been
fired upon this, we will say, causes
stocks to fall 5 per cent. Immediately
the wise subscriber rushes to his own
telephone and gives his broker an order
to buy. AT o'clock the central editor
rings furiously and reports a violent
debate in Parliament, which leads to a
change of the Ministry. At 3 O'Clock
there is a fire in building of which
the subscriber is part owner-and SO il
goes on.
"All this news" says my author, sis
related in a sonorous voice, easily
understood-and, as there is only one
wire, the subscriber is not veXed with
the hubbub of twenty voices trying tC
use the same wire at once. Still, it is
little fatigung to get your news in
such slices instead of having it all in
your hand at once SO Il continue to
quote, at o'clock he can take a rest
THAT is, the subscriber cam, and
madame, his wife, comes forward to
hear the report of a lecture at the
Academy; perhaps the repetition, with
all due emphasis, OF new poem. AT
o'clock the young ladies listen to a
concert through the Teiebhonic Ga
zette; they can distinguish wonderfully
well the touching pathos Of the vioIon-
cello, the pearly Staccatos of the violin,
the sweet melodies of the flute, and the
enchanting voice of the prima donna"
What could be more delightful and
convenient
All this, am assured, is daily going
on in BUDAPEST Nay, more, "by the
aid of a single wire of the State tele-
graph line, our central station has been
connected simultaneously with the tele-
phone stations of Vienna, Gratz, Brunn,
and Trieste; and in all those cities the
voice of the GdzetteS editor has been
heard-clear, sonorous and with every
shade of intonation. F. b. SaRboW
in the Boston Daily Advertiser.