FAXNEWS/ENEWS
Faxnews is service USA News Network began offering in 1991 as an answer to our readerboard client's desperate need to get up-to-the-minute coverage of the Persian Gulf War. Adironrock Community College was a readerboard customer but needed more information for their radio station than the readerboard provided. Following is the story of how WGFR college radio became our first customer, as told by Rebecca Butts of College Broadcaster magazine in 1992.
Faxnews Service Offers College Radio Low-Cost Alternative to Wire Services
By: Rebecca Butts
A year ago Adirinrock Community College radio station WGFR was desperately trying to get late-breaking news on the Persion Gulf War. Using traditional wire services proved to be too expensive. Monitoring CNN was too time-consuming, and the local newspaper contained news already a day old.
USA News Network had already been providing the school with news via electronic red news display boards, so WGFR station adviser Ron Pesha asked USA if they could fax daily, ready-to-read newscasts for their station to broadcast. (Editor's note: Actually, the student news director Jamie Grrenough made the intial calls to our offices)
Sparked by Pesha's request (and after months of market research) USA News Network created a new college-targeted radio newscast service...FAXNEWS.
College radio stations can take out a monthly subscription to USA Faxnews for either a 12-or-24-month premium and the USA staff will fax concise, ready-to-read over the air newscasts. It works through any fax machine (as of 2003, most customers opt to have the newscast emailed to them, though fax is still available).
Faxnews reports college-oriented stories, entertainment features, world and national news stories, upcoming movie releases, important business reports and sports scores and updates.
Pesha said his station had previously subscribed to AP and UPI, but those services were too expensive. "They were supplying vast amounts of information, 24 hours a day that we couldn't use," Pesha said. "The bottom line with Faxnews is cost. And it contains just as much news as we can use and no more."
Faxnews works from many widely read publications: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek and Time. For additional news material and entertainment sources, they use wire services, College Press Service, Rolling Stone, Spin and Billboard magazines.
College Broadcaster Magazine
Volume 4, No. 6 April/May 1992
So what are you waiting for? There's not a better product on the market for the price. For more information contact USA News Director Peter McNabb at peter@usanewsnetwork.com or call 1-800-880 NEWS (6397) to get started.
$99
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