Evening star., 1953-04-10
Annual Report Lists
AP's Outstanding
Triumphs' in 1852
BY the As,oeiated Press


j. Starzel. general manager of
the Associated Press. said today
that 1852 was a year Of "out-
standing triumphS" for the AP.
In his annual report to the
news co-operative's newspaper
and radio membership, Mr.. Star
Eel said the year was notable
for climactic accomplishment"
of long-term projects. The re-
port was mailed to members in
advance of the annual meeting
here April 20.
Mr.. Starzel said the years
accomplishments included:
Development of new tech
niques in national election COW
erage;
Mechanization, by means Of
radioteletype, Of international
communications which enables
the AP to deliver and receive
quickly news and pictures to and
from distant parts Of the world:
Conversion to teletypeSetter
operation of all State single cir
cults and some trunk circuits.
For many years, news was trans
mitted on printers in capital let
ters. On teletypeSetter, the news
is printed just as typewriter
copy appears with capitals and
small letters. Also, teletypeSetter
tape may be converted automat-
ically into type at newspaper
plants.
Election COverage.
The 1852 presidential cam
paign coverage included polls of
delegates to the national con-
ventionS to determine delegate
preferences and included also
State-by-State political surveys.
The latter. based on composite
estimates by newspaper and ra-
dio editors and political report
ers, attempted to show political
trends.
without question, the surveys
constituted the most widely de-
bated AP news enterprise of
1882" Mr.. Starzel said. 1T has
undoubtedly been a very healthy
and constructive thing to have
this extended discussion, taking
into account the combined wide
spread demands for more pene-
trating reporting and more ef-
fective use of the APPS unpar-
alleled cooperative resources"
The surveys called the turn in
II Of 13 primary contests. The
final AP survey, taken three
weeks before the November elec-
ton, showed States with a total
of 327 electoral votes favoring
Dwight D. Eisenhower over Adlai
Stevenson. Gen. Eisenhower re-
ceived 442.
"The most significant point
was that an upward trend was
shown for Eisenhower in 80
States, including a switch of
Stevenson'S home State of Illi-
nois to Eisenhower" Mr.. Starzel
said, "This contraSted with COM
mercial public opinion polls
which right up to election eve
were reporting gains for Steven
son and close election"
Mr.. Starzel noted that the AP
survey was wrong in eight States.
A postcard poll of AP members
was taken to determine their at
titude toward continuing the
surveys.
Results Of Foil.
The returns, tabulated and
checked this week by a special
committee Of Associated Press
managing editors, showed 348
members favoring similar surveys
IN future elections, 110 opposed
and % indefinite.
Discussing the APPS world
wide communications, Mr.. Star
eel said newspapers and radio
stations in Latin America re-
ceived by teleprinter a news
report that in speed, volume
and scope compared with the
news service received by do
mestic members" The tele-
printer is actuated by radio
impulse.
This followed a similar de-
velopment of AP facilities to the
Far Pacific the previous year."
he said. Thus dispatches now
flow into Tokyo, Manila, Singa-
pore. Santiago, Chile; Buenos
Aires and Rio de Janeiro in full
printer text. The volume of
news has increased from some
$4,000 words to more than 40,-
600 words daily.
News pictures followed in
the path of the news to the
same areas. completing the net
work of daily, regularly filed
Neutrality-suspicious. service to
all parts of the world"
Teletypesetter Service.
More than 900 newspapers re-
ceived their news reports in 1852
on teletypeSetter circuits. OF
these, more than 200 received
their full trunk wire report by
teletypesetter wires.
During the year, the AP sports
department instituted, Mr.. Star
Eel said, lone of it's most ambi-
tious projects-Setting up a ma
jor league baseball statistical
service to supply up-to- -the-min-
ute records in batting and pitch
ing direct by wire"
Domestic newspaper member
ship during the year totaled
1,725 and radio membership l.
185. Outside the United States,
the AP served 3.138 newspapers,
radio stations and publications
in 50 countries.