I'll defend the AP here, as a former temp there (and as one who got his start in the dying days of UPI's Indianapolis bureau), as one married to a former 10-year vet there (including being a "****" in NYC), and as one whose oldest son has an AP sports writer for his godmother:
Everyone tends to think the wire has some massive desk going on, but in most cases where you're calling is more thinly staffed than the smallest huckleberry paper. It's cooperative, so members own the AP, and provide it with copy. The AP, whatever its sins, has been caught in the conundrum of its newspaper members demanding more to fill space, yet demanding to pay less for it. I know for years the AP has looked at other sources of income because of this. The AP's move toward online isn't a reflection of it killing newspapers, but of an attempt to stop the opposite from happening.
Meanwhile, you have the vagaries of the operation itself. Sometimes stringers call in late -- or don't call in at all. Sometimes, on the state desks, you have people who previously didn't do sports a day in their lives responsible for writing and editing copy, and there are probably only two or three of them (or fewer) to begin with working everything else for the night, as well. (Having to do sports was the biggest shock to the system for my wife when she first started at the AP.)
Not to say that every wire staffer is a hard-working person doing his or her best to move great quickly against impossible odds. As with any organization, there are some people who are lazy or just don't get it. But if you wonder why the people you call are cranky, it might be because you're demanding a box score at the same time someone else is demanding a write-up on a fatal fire, while a broadcaster is calling in a story, etc. I would recommend a little understanding when you call and ask for something. Then if the person is a jerk about it, you can feel rightfully peeved.
