Air v. Ink

In the hang-fire war between Radio and the Press, the newspapers thus far have done all the fighting. Radio, which gets more & more of the national advertiser's dollar each year partly at the expense of newspapers, has been able to sit back and insist quietly that, so far as Radio was concerned, no war existed. Last week, however, Columbia Broadcasting System took action which, if not a show of force, at least was good showmanship. It formed Columbia News Service, Inc. to gather and broadcast news.

Until last year Radio was permitted to help itself to the news of press associations and most newspapers, the only price being the broadcast announcement of credit. Following last November's national election, publishers set up such a howl over being scooped by Radio at the Press's own cost, that the practice was stopped. The present rule is that no news agency may supply news to any radio network. Member newspapers of Associated Press and United Press operating their own broadcasting stations may broadcast locally bulletins limited to 30 words.

Radio took the injunction without loud protest, proceeded to gather its own news as it saw fit. NBC and Columbia publicity staffs both are manned by seasoned newshawks. NBC's smart Vice President Frank Earl Mason, onetime president of Hearst's International News Service, applied wire service methods to the long distance telephone, got fast, adequate coverage of big news for his chain. Columbia went at it somewhat more elaborately, organized a system of correspondents in the 90 cities dotted by CBS stations.

Last week's action divorced Columbia's news force from its publicity department. It may have been prompted partly by the fact that Columbia lately signed up a new client, General Mills, which will broadcast two daily 5-minute news reports. CBS would not say if it contemplated any hotter competition with the Press, but its articles of incorporation permit:

". . . Publishing by radio broadcasting, television, telegraph, telephone, written or printed documents, facsimile . . . selling or distributing the same to any media;" and to produce and distribute photographs.

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