Evening star., 1938-12-26
Broadcast Pictures
Expansion OLA. P,
Building Dedicated
Agency Now Is Using
New History Structure
In Rockefeller Center
D. the Associated Press.

0S the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Dec. 26.-Ninety
years Of dramatic history were tele.
scoped yesterday into swift
moving hour, dedicating the new
History building of the Associated
Press in Rockefeller Center.
1t was Ninety Years of News" tht
National Broadcasting Co.'S radio
salute to the A. P, its new neighbor
portraying the development of the
Associated Press through the re-
enactment of great events of the
last nine decades.
The story of the Associated Press
from its founding through years of
expansion into the worlds greatest
news gathering organization emerged
through series of high lights from
history.
Among the events portrayed in
the news pageant were the delivery
of the Gettysburg address, with
Raymond Massey, the actor, as
Lincoln; Gen. Clusters celebrated
last stand, the breaking of the dam
In the flood at JohnstoWn and the
beginning of Adolf Hitler's rise to
power.
Byron Price Speaks.
In several of the scenes were
Associated Press men providing some
of the great news beats of all time.
The action moved from 1848, when
the telegraph was fouryear-ol
S,,%a 70 dow ACcnniQt- -
ed Press, with a mile system
OF leased telegraphed wires.
At the conclusion of the broadcast
Byron Price, executive news editor
Of the Associated Press, said listen
ers had heard how the A. P.'s growth
had taken place, adding, Il would
like to tell you, in a few sentences,
why it has taken place.
THE Associated Press has pros
pered because its member news
papers have been willing to sub
merge partisan and other individual
ambitions, and to leave the conduct
of the news report in the hands of
a thoroughly independent manage
ment; because its staff, generation
after generation, have been willing
to contribute their unlimited and
undivided devotion, even their lives
when necessary; because during 40
crucial years it had available the
courageous leadership, as president,
of an outstanding American, Frank
B. Noyes; and finally, but far from
least, because it has been able to
draw successfully upon the genius
and the vision of two great general
managers, Melville E. Stone and
Kent Cooper"
The radio program began with
broadcasting for a moment the front
page news of today The automatic
printers were heard clicking in the
new building.
Scene Depicts Beginning.
That's A. P. headline news Of
today" said the announcer, C
news that's gathered by a hundred
thousand reporters throughout the
globe, stop-press news that speeds
over 285 900 miles of leased wires in
tho United States alone yes,
that's the Associated Press of today.
Now let's travel down those thrilling
years in which the A. P. was growing
into the greatest s-gathering
force the world has even known"
The next scene dropped back 80
years to the beginning of the A. P.
Another scene was in 1893 when
- little group of serious-faced As
sociated Press publishers met in
Chicago.
Led by Victor F. Lawson. Frank
B. Noyes and Melville E. Stone, the
A. P. forces waged a war to the
death on the grasping news trust.
Out of that epic struggle emerged
the A. P. of today, Americas only
non-profit, cooperative news-gath-
ering organization, a champion OF
the ideal of truth in news
Another scene portrayed Jack
son S. Elliott at the executive edi-
tors desk after another news Or
ganization had sent premature
armistice flash, saying: 1--WE will
not carry the story-not unless our
own correspondents send it to us
and they've never failed us yet"
And so through the years the A. P.
has given its member newspapers
the small and great stories as they
occurred throughout the world, and
this year, continuing its far-reach-
ing coverage, it filed on its wires
not only the "run-o mill" news
but those breaks that made black
headlines across the Nations first
pages.