"Clearing the AP Wire'

Before computers were on every desktop, the news came in on the teletype.  If your station paid enough, you got AP ...cheaper stations paid for UPI.  You would gather the news for the news department if they were out of the building (overnight or night shift), and were aware that if the machine started dinging like crazy, there was a bulletin.  You could gather stories together for a newscast, or do what most DJ's who are asked to do the news headlines did, "rip and read," which was basically taking the copy from the teletype and reading it on the air without previewing it first.  Funny times !  

A good memory of clearing the wire and
"ripping and reading" for me was finding out my childhood substitute father had won a statewide honor, as I read it live on the air.  My mom happened to be listening to the 430 am newscast.   The low point was finding out a friend of mind had been killed in an auto accident. I was saddened but also,the thought crossed my mind that she had been a terrible driver.  No ..I didn't say it on the air.