Wire  service  representatives  are  important  media contacts.  Consider  them  in  all  public  information activities and invite them to participate in military news or news-related events within their areas. They are seldom available for extended press trips or maneuvers at  a  distant  location,  since  their  responsibility  is normally only for news in their general area. Members  of  other  news  media  are  often  employed by wire services as stringers for a news service, feature service or news magazine and should not be overlooked in any public information program. Currently,  there  are  two  predominant  wire  services in the United States: The Associated Press and United Press International. You should be aware that there are also  several  foreign  wire  services. The Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is a nonprofit service owned by its members. Members take news items from the AP teletype and feed local items into the system. Consequently, a story of broad human interest from your command may be relayed around the world in a few hours.  AP  serves  overseas  publications  and  broadcasting organizations that have the status of “subscriber” rather than “member,” but they still share in its costs. AP also offers  photo  service  and  technical  advice  to  its  members and subscribers. United Press International United  Press  International  (UPI)  is  a  profit-making service that sells news and feature material to mass media.  It  offers  virtually  the  same  services  as  AP, including a wire-photo service, features, news film and audio  service.  UPI  evolved  from  the  former  United Press  and  International  News  Service. World  News  Services News services from other nations, such as Reuters (England), Agence France Press (France) and Xin Hua (Peoples  Republic  of  China)  also  supply  news  to  their national   media.   These   services   generally   report significant U.S. news. In 1967, Reuters entered the Americian news distribution market after the end of a 50-year  business  agreement  with  AP  in  which  British and  American  news  was  exchanged.  Reuters  began  to distribute American news to subscribers within the United States and those in the United Kingdom. It also established a U.S. financial news service for American clients. SYNDICATES Syndicates are either owned by a large newspaper or chain of papers, or they are the result of cooperative agreements among noncompeting papers. They often provide in-depth stories of what the wire services report as spot news. Examples are as follows: NANA (North American  Newspaper  Alliance),  NEA  (Newspaper Enterprises  Association),  New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and the Hearst Headline Service. MAGAZINES Magazines  may  be  grouped  as  news,  consumer  or internal/promotional  publications.  Magazines  have wide  circulation,  though  they  are  published  less frequently  than  newspapers. Few magazine editors want news releases except as possible  leads  for  staff-written  stories.  An  editor provided with feature material and good pictures of interest to his readership may either follow through with a staff-written article or at least adapt the material as a filler. Requests  for  help  on  Navy  features  made  by  a national  magazine  must  be  approved  by  CHINFO before information is released or support is given. NEWS  MAGAZINES News  magazines  (Time, Newsweek U.S. News and World Report)  are  national  weekly  newspapers  covering the major news of the week in greater depth than daily newspapers or the electronic media. They have the following  characteristics: l l l l l Interpretation. A clearer meaning is given to items reported in small amounts during the week. Background.  With time to dig more deeply, more information can be developed to place a story  in  perspective. Review. A reader can catch up on news he may have  missed  in  the  daily  newspaper. Selectivity. Material printed is selected carefully for  national  or  international  significance. Performance.  Printed on good stock, it stays in the home or the office for longer periods. 4-4