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July 22, 2019 7:05 pm  #1


-30-

I was taught that press releases should end with -30- to signify the end of a public statement. any content following would then be considered as background intended solely for the recipient, and not for publication. (contact names, addresses, etc.)   My understanding is that it was a throwback to teletype, or even as far back as morse code, as being a simple or unique identifier to represent quickly.

don't see it much anymore, although i received a media release today which had -30- from a communications department known for being young and dynamic.  it piqued my interest in the origins and continued usage of -30-

neither Wiki nor google were much help in explaining how it came to be.  I have no doubt the wealth of newsroom experience on this board can properly enlighten me. 

 

July 22, 2019 7:53 pm  #2


Re: -30-

There are so many stories about -30-'s origin, you can take your pick. Check out this article referred by the American Journalism Review for just a few beginning tales.

So Why Not 29? 

I still remember the front page of the Toronto Telegram's last ever issue in 1971.

 

July 22, 2019 8:02 pm  #3


Re: -30-

good article RA!

     Thread Starter
 

July 22, 2019 9:47 pm  #4


Re: -30-

When I was at BN, an urgent story - double-spaced - was called a "95." But that designation hasn't been used in years.


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

July 22, 2019 9:51 pm  #5


Re: -30-

Dale Patterson wrote:

When I was at BN, an urgent story - double-spaced - was called a "95." But that designation hasn't been used in years.

And if I recall, when a story didn't go through or there was a problem with it after it had already been sent, there would be a line that read, "Bust It," to indicate it was going to have to be refed and it shouldn't be used. 

 

July 23, 2019 7:42 am  #6


Re: -30-

RadioActive wrote:

There are so many stories about -30-'s origin, you can take your pick. Check out this article referred by the American Journalism Review for just a few beginning tales.

So Why Not 29? 

I still remember the front page of the Toronto Telegram's last ever issue in 1971.

RA: I know you tell us that you never through anything away. Is that your own personal copy of the last Tely? I have a copy somewhere along with the first edition of the Sun. One thing I always remember about the Telegram was the Saturday edition always advertised 16 pages of coloured comics. Do you happen to have one of the Sunday editions of the Telegram that was published from March-June 1957?

 

July 23, 2019 8:44 am  #7


Re: -30-

I do have the last Telegram (and the first Toronto Sun which came out the next day) but the pic was one I borrowed from somewhere else just to illustrate the 30 on the cover. I wasn't old enough to drive in 1971 when the issue came out and I remember my late father, an astoundingly wonderful man who would do anything for his kids, taking me around to stores and newspaper boxes (remember when they had those?) to try and find the souvenirs. 

It took a few tries, but we finally located the final Telegram in one of those boxes and I dropped in the coins and bought it. The Sun was easier to come by the next day. When I look at the editions now, the amazing thing no one remembers is how gigantic they were compared to the newspapers that are put out now. They're almost twice the physical size in terms of length and width. 

As for your other question, no I don't have any other Telegrams from any year. I wish I did! 

Maybe you can find what you're looking for here. Good luck! 

 

July 23, 2019 9:36 am  #8


Re: -30-

RadioActive wrote:

Dale Patterson wrote:

When I was at BN, an urgent story - double-spaced - was called a "95." But that designation hasn't been used in years.

And if I recall, when a story didn't go through or there was a problem with it after it had already been sent, there would be a line that read, "Bust It," to indicate it was going to have to be refed and it shouldn't be used. 

Back in the pre-digital days, "Bust it" was also used to stop a story from running so an urgent story could be filed. Going WAY back (before my time), they had "regional breaks" where local bureaus would have 15 minutes an hour or so to file stories. The rest of the hour was reserved for national and international stories. I believe urgent regional stories could also be filed outside of the regional breaks, but they had to inform main desk first.
 


"Life without echo is really no life at all." - Dan Ingram
 

July 23, 2019 9:52 am  #9


Re: -30-

When UPC Canada (remember them?) closed after a brief existence they sent a big 30 across their wire-teletype machine made up of all the names of the folks who worked there.  I still have a copy of that somewhere.