Federal News Service
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Transcription services |
| Founded | 1985 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
| Products | Verbatim transcripts of speeches, congressional hearings, interviews |
| Parent | CQ Roll Call |
Federal News Service (FNS) is a transcription company headquartered in Washington, D.C., specializing in producing verbatim transcripts of significant events occurring in the capital. Their services include on-demand transcription of speeches, congressional hearings, and interviews for various clients. FNS is recognized as a primary provider of transcripts from presidential appearances and events on Capitol Hill.
History
Established in 1985, FNS emerged to address the need for precise records of statements made during Washington briefings and hearings, which previously required physical attendance or reliance on notes and audio recordings. By 1987, according to The New York Times, FNS had become an essential resource for media outlets, government agencies, and international entities by delivering transcripts from sessions involving the State Department, Defense Department, the White House, Congress, as well as television talk shows.
In December 1995, the Federal Trade Commission sanctioned a consent decree between Reuters America and Federal News Service Group Inc., resolving allegations of anti-competitive practices between the two leading U.S. producers of verbatim transcripts. No admission of guilt was made by either party.
In July 2009, FNS initiated a federal lawsuit against Congressional Quarterly, its parent organizations (the Times Publishing Company and the Poynter Institute for Media Studies), CQ Transcriptions, and Morningside Partners, a vendor. The suit accused CQ of corporate espionage, claiming that CQ compensated an FNS employee for proprietary business information and exploited a customer password to obtain access to FNS transcripts.
In August 2010, the Minnesota-based Dolan Company—a publisher specializing in business journals and trade media—purchased FNS from the bankruptcy estate of its former owner Cheryl A. Reagan.
On December 1, 2014, CQ Roll Call acquired Federal News Service from Dolan for an undisclosed amount. CQ Roll Call operates as a fully owned subsidiary of The Economist Group and was created through the merger of Congressional Quarterly, Roll Call, and Capitol Advantage.