Where do you get the news you write? A lot of people in and outside the business ask me that.

What do you do? My son asks me that.

As AP's California-Nevada broadcast supervisor, it's my job to write, edit and supervise radio-TV news coverage of the two states.

The news any AP broadcast editor packages comes from a variety of sources.

AP is staffed in 112 countries in the world. The world's largest newsgathering organization assigns reporters, photographers, videographers, producers and audio-gatherers from any of these bureaus to cover events. The information gathered that way in California and Nevada arrives at AP broadcast desks in these two states by phone or computer. Then, it's processed to go with sound and pictures.

But there are many other sources for the news I gather.

There's you. And, that's a big "you" since AP's backbone, and reason for being more than 150 years ago, is cooperation.

We're a cooperative. We count on our members (not "subscribers") to provide us with the news in their broadcasting areas. This help can be in the form of a tip or it can be all the details along with source numbers.

We look at your Web sites.

We glean our member newspapers.

You can call us. You can fax us. Try e-mail!

We're getting out breaking news, separates, NewsMinutes and News Agendas, using information from all these sources. Most days, it's a steady flow of news reflecting all areas of both states. But on some days (and for the full length of the O.J. Simpson trial), it is breaking news all the time.

Notice I switched from "I" to "we" in this article. That's really what covering news for AP is all about. "We're" all in this together.

I await hearing from you (213-626-1200).