[BC] delays on radio and TV (old timer question)

[Donna Halper]

A friend of mine is working on a book, and media usage is part of it, since 
it takes place in the time (early to mid 50s) when news was changing over 
from exclusively radio to network casts on TV.  He found some newspaper 
articles which mention that they radio used to do three broadcasts of news 
and soap operas and whatever on the networks-- one for the east coast time 
zone, another for the midwest, and a third for the west coast.  But he 
asked me if this was just a radio thing-- I do not have a lot of expertise 
in early TV technology, so perhaps somebody on the list could tell me.  In 
the 1950s, there was still no general use of videotape and things had to be 
filmed, right? SO if a breaking news event occurred, I assume it was still 
easier back then to get it on radio first and then later get it filmed and 
onto TV.  Am I correct?  What would the process have been-- let's say the 
president gave a spontaneous talk out at some event in (let's say) Billings 
Montana.  It's 1955, and I wanna get a portion of his remarks on the 
air.  If I am a radio reporter, isn't it still easier for me to get it onto 
the next radio newscast than it would be for me as a TV reporter to get it 
onto the TV cast?