Mediterranean Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 18, 1962, Naples, Naples                                Co Ridgway p. Smith or. Editor in chief it col John j. Caulfield Deputy editor in chief army of operates Complex news circulation system to bring you your Hometown paper away from Home european edition of the stars and stripes today is a Mil lion plus a year business that does not receive one cent from the american tax payer although it is set up to serve Only . Military personnel government civil ians and their dependents stationed in Europe Africa and the Middle East headquartered at a former Luftwaffe Airfield outside of Darmstadt Germany stripes daily prints about copies of its 24-Page newspaper. The four editions of the paper Are sent by truck train plane and even mule to circulation Points As Distant As Peshawar on the khyber pass in Pakistan the azores Oslo in Norway and Asmara Ethiopia. In addition subscribers receive the paper by mail at such faraway places As Kabul Afghanistan Calcutta India Dakar Senegal Lagos Nigeria and Accra Ghana. Of course the paper goes to Paris Lon Don Madrid Berlin new York and Washington As Well As to Wasse Kuppe Schwae Bisch Gemuend Diyarbakir por Denone and chateau Roux and dozens of other bases in Western Europe where the main body of . Military forces in this half of the world Are stationed. Stripes loses More than million a year Selling the newspaper for 5 cents daily and 10 cents on sunday. It costs an average of 8 cents a copy to print and distribute the paper on weekdays and 12 cents or sundays. To keep the organization from going broke however stripes operates More than 400 Newsstands at army and air Force installations in its circulation area. It is largely through the Sale of books magazines and other publications that stripes takes in enough Money up the deficit on the newspaper and still contribute to the army air Force welfare funds from its modest profits. Other sources of Revenue include Job printing which is done for other . Agencies and the Sale of scrap and sur plus. The result is that since 1951, stripes has been Able to contribute to Usa eur and Safe welfare funds. These funds Are used to provide recreational services for . Forces overseas. Getting stripes into the hands of its readers As Well As providing them with other newspapers magazines and books requires an army of nearly persons including 167 . And Allied civilian employees and 22 . Military personnel the remainder includes 805 employees of other nationalities and 976 persons associated with stripes As delivery boys newsstand operators and concessionaires. News is channelled into Darmstadt through a new York office which culls april 18, 1962 the Domestic wires of the associated press and United press International and relays selected sports and general . News by wire to Europe. International news flows directly into Darmstadt through the european wires of the two major . Wire services. Other dispatches by wire Tele phone and mail from stripes own network of news bureaus in Berlin Munich Stutt Gart and Ramstein Kaiserslautern in Ger Many and London Paris and Madrid. Roving teams of reporter photographers both military and civilian gather news features and. Pictures in other parts of Europe Africa and the Middle East. News releases from . Military information offices and private firms add to the flood. At the same time stripes prize winning photo staff covers assignments each year while photos Are also received daily from three worldwide picture agencies and from military sources. From about a Quarter of a million words that arrive in Darmstadt daily stripes editors select the total of about words and 40 equivalent of a sizable goes into the paper every Day. The production Plant includes 13 inter Type machines and two Ludlow for casting the stories and headlines into Type. The three unit rotary press can print papers an hour. Two of the units Are capable of printing in four colors such As in the 16-Page sunday comic supplement. Each year tons of newsprint is used to publish stripes while a Fleet of More than 200 vehicles carry the copies across european highways and to airports and Railroad stations for distribution throughout Europe North Africa and the Middle East. Getting the stars and stripes to its readers involves circulation problems not usually encountered among even the largest metropolitan dailies Back Home. In the states a paper s circulation area Seldom extends beyond a 100-mile radius from the City. But stripes circulation area is about the size of the United states. Climate censors and customs officials May complicate circulation matters any Day of the year. If a plane can t take Oft because of weather other connections can t be made and schedules Are knocked awry. Sometimes censors ban All foreign news difficulties. There Aren t too Many problems when the paper is carried by truck to its Destina Tion As is done throughout most of Ger Many and part of France. But look what happens to the stripes issues Destin ated for Capri eur France. The 170 papers Are carried by stripes truck to the Frankfurt Airport from where they Are flown to Paris. There a stripes track picks them up Ana carries them to a Railroad station and the papers Are hauled by train to Langon. A local fireman who works at Capri eur picks up the papers each morning on his Way to work and drives them the 20 Miles to the installation. The process becomes More difficult the farther you get from Germany. Take the papers destined for Adana Turkey. They Are part of the papers sent continued on Page 10 More than words pour info the paper s communications Section daily. About words appear in print stars and stripes 20th anniversary supplement Page 9