Birmingham age-herald., 1895-09-17
A TELEPHONE NEWSPAPER.
Budapest Leads the World in This Form of
 Enterprise-HoM It Is Managed.

Budapest Leads the World in This Form or
 Enterprise-How It Is Managed.
 Budapest is the only city in the world that can as yet boast of a telephone newspaper. The idea of diffusng unwrit- ten news was, says the Vienna corre- spondent of the London Chronicle, orig mated by the Hungarian, Theodor AL bert Puskas,and the Telephone Hirmondo (Herald) has now been working success fully for over two years.
 An important improvement introduced at the Hirmondo office within the last few days determined me to pay visit to the Hungarian capital and to study the whole subject on the spot, writes the correspondent. While I was dressing in the morning the hotel servant knocked at my door and asked if l wanted the tel ephone paper. He then handed me tw3 receivers about the size of pocket watch attached to long chords, which can be fastened to the bed or armchair to suit ones convenience. "The newspaper wilt begin to speak directly" remarked the servant, and will go on speaking until late in the evening. We don't charge our visitors anything for it, as it only costs us penny a day" For persons confined from any cause to their rooms and for pa- tents laid prostrate by sickness this neWs-transmitter is a real boon. It speaks all day, but does not give the news in a chaotic tumble, but minute by min- ute. They are imparted instrict accord ance with the programme received by each subscriber. In this way each per son knows when the turn will come for the news interesting him. It was precise- ly 8:3O as l put the receivers to my ears. and the days work commenced for the newspaper. It began by transmitting the telegrams received in the night from Europe and America in clear sonorous tone, quite free from the nasal tWang of the ordinary telephone. This went on till S:45, after which followed the daily calendar with metropolitan news, and the list of strangers who had arrived al Bud- apest up to the previous night.
 In this orderly way the programme is carried out until late in the evening" Mu- sic, art and literature play important roles in this telephonc organ. Toward evening, when news is growing scarc2r, the subscribers are entertained with vo- cal and instrumental concerts, quartattes and solos, the latter given by the most talented artists of the capital. At first these concerts were held at the editorial buildings in rooms specially adapted for the purpose, but later on the arrange ment was made to connect the opera house and some music halls with the of flee, so that the operas, as well as con- certs, given by military and gypsy bands in different parts of the town are trans mitted to the subscribers, who are often luled to sleep by the strains of some fa-
 
 has been made with the principal church. es for Sundays and saints days, espe- cially for the Easter festival. The Bula- pest concerts are sometimes listened to throughout the whole Dual Monarchy, and even beyond it's borders. The other day the "Hirmondo' mcrophone was put into connection with the circuit of Trieste, Vienna, Brunn, Budapest and Berlin, and the music reached all these places alike with the same clearness and force.
 The organization of the staff resembles that of any other big paper only that here the staff is on duty from 7:3O in the morning until 9:50 in the evening A- ring which time thirty-e!ght ed' <s are spoken into the transmitter. The most insignificant items must be edited and approved by M Horvath. They arc then copied and registered before they are allowed to be read through the teie- phone by the speaker" The "Hir- monde" is subject to the same restric- tions, and is held responsible by the au- thorities for its communications, as or dnary newspapers, though it chronicles political facts without comment. Ten men with strong voices and clear artlcu- lation act as speakers. and take their turn in shifts of two at time. One or these speaks a series of items, but Tor no longer than eight or ten minutes, and every new item is introduced by the word new" The technical organization Is admirably instructive and unique. The 60O0 subscribers are served by one Wire, measuring 16S miles in length, and run ming along the windows of the subscrip- CTS Each subscriber forms station and a separate line is connected with each station by means of special ap- paratus so that the main line is not ar fected if there is a block at one of the stations.