Associate Press

The first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale, AP delivered news by pigeon, pony express, railroad, steamship, telegraph and teletype in the early years. In 1935, AP began sending photographs by wire. A radio network was formed in 1973, and an international video division was added in 1994. In 2005, a digital database was created to hold all AP content, which has allowed the agency to deliver news instantly and in every format to the ever expanding online world. AP’s video division is now the world’s leading video news agency.

Often called the “Marine Corps of journalism”—always first in and last out—AP reports history in urgent installments, always on deadline. It remains a not-for-profit cooperative, owned by 1,500 U.S. newspapers, which are both its customers and its members. A Board of Directors comprised of publishers, editors, and broadcast and radio executives oversee the cooperative.

In 2003, AP moved from its long-time headquarters at Rockefeller Center to its current global headquarters, on the West Side of Manhattan, where it could integrate its all-format news department in one space.