NEW YORK -- The United Press Associations and International News Service joined forces today around the world in the creation of a single news agency named "United Press International."
This is the first dispatch of the news service which will embrace the largest number of newspaper and radio clients ever served simultaneously by an independently operated news and picture agency.
Agreements covering the consolidation of services were signed by both sides on May 16, and the announcement was delayed until the physical change over could be worked out.
Frank H. Bartholomew, of United Press, will be president of the new global agency, and Kingsbury Smith, of International News Service, will be vice president and associate general manager.
The board will be enlarged by the addition of William Randolph Hearst Jr., Editor in Chief of the Hearst Newspapers, J.D. Gortatowsky, Chairman of the Board of Hearst Consolidated Publications, Inc.; and G.O. Markuson, vice president and treasurer of the Hearst Corporation.
Stronger service
Frank Bartholomew, president of United Press International, stated that:
"The consolidation of the two services will assure a stronger competitive news and pictorial-news report to newspapers, radio and television stations throughout the entire civilized world.
"Like the newspapers dependent upon us for news, ours will be a business organization, collecting and distributing one of the world's most perishable products, news. We believe private enterprise with a profit incentive is the best guarantee of objective coverage of world news, exactly as it is for the subsequent publishing of that news in the great independent newspapers of the world.
"The combining of the two services will guarantee broader and more efficient news and pictorial reporting on a world-wide basis.
Economic factor
"Economics was an important factor in the creation of the great new news network. Costs of covering the world news fronts have risen steadily improving means of transmitting both news and pictures by leased wires and electronic processes."
Key personnel of INS will be retained and will reinforce the present UP staff, according to Earl J. Johnson, Vice President and General News Manager.
United Press was created in 1907 by E.W. Scripps to insure that at any time in the future any existing newspaper or any person seeking to start a newspaper could obtain an adequate national and international news service.
The INS was established in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst for reasons closely paralleling those motivating the organization of UP, and since its inception has been noted for its news enterprise and exclusive feature coverage of important world-wide events.
Actual and intensive work on putting the complex global news systems of the two organizations into one effective transmission network has been under way since September of 1957. The plan was evolved by Frank H. Bartholomew and Leroy Keller from the United Press and J.D. Gortatowsky and Kingsbury Smith from the International News Service.
