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United Press International (UPI) was the first wire service to start its own radio news network. In the early 1960s it began offering a 4-and-a-half minute newscast at the top of the hour. Unlike most commercial networks which pay local stations to air their programing. UPI Radio charged stations for its services, allowing them to sell up to 90 seconds of advertising within the newscast. It is the model that former rival wire service Associated Press uses for its radio network today. AP Radio began operating in the 1970s.