Weekly Variety covered radio during the Golden Age and there was space devoted to international radio. Here's an item from 1938.
An earlier story revealed a news service called Transradio announced a rate increase to stations. UP's Pacific Northwest rep, Phil Curran, decided to raid the Transradio stations (presumably offering a cheaper deal) and signed up KMO Tacoma, KIT Yakima and KHQ and KGA Spokane. It also nabbed a Canadian station.
VANCOUVER SQUABBLE
British United Press Claimed by Both CJOR and CKWX
Vancouver, B. C., April 26.
Contract mix-up on wire services has local newscasters at each other's throats, with both CJOR and CKWX claiming to broadcast British United Press.
Vancouver Sun holds BUP contract and claims right to use its dispatches in twice-daily airings over CKWX, which station buys no news service itself, depending entirely on the Sun. CJOR pays plenty each month for news and is anything but happy at CKWX set-up in any case, but now states station manager brought broadcast rights to BUP when in east last month.
Fact that the Sun buys CP and AP service in addition to BUP is making it tough for CJOR to carry out threat of a squawk if Sun broadcasts any BUP news, as it is almost impossible to tag origin of the broadcast dispatches.
cArtie.