With the corporate takeovers that swept the broadcast industry in the 1980's, the networks' news-gathering operations came under increasing budget scrutiny.

The main reason that news programs escape such scrutiny is, of course, that any attempt by Washington to control news-gathering operations would be perceived as censorship.

The giveaway means less support for expensive news-gathering operations and the potential erosion of advertising revenue from the print side, which is much more profitable.

Its news-gathering operations employ 1,000 journalists in New York and in dozens of domestic and foreign bureaus.

Also, for the first time in CNN's 20-year history, all news-gathering operations will be orchestrated by a central news desk.

As a news-gathering operation, however, Time is also interested in disseminating information to the widest possible audience.

BBC News is the world's largest news-gathering operation of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

The proposal would cost hundreds of jobs or require drastic changes in the news-gathering operation, executives at the network said last week.

They described these acts as a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" into news-gathering operations.

The newspaper's news-gathering operations are largely decentralized, the result of its large geographic reach.