Usage of "Full stop. Fresh line" phrase instead of "full stop" or "period"

Question

In Malta, there's a phrase "full stop. Fresh line" (or "full stop, fresh line") that seems to be in use by some speakers. It is equivalent to the British English "full stop" or the American English "period".

Curiously, I've never heard it used by British or American speakers of English, and a quick Google search shows nothing but Maltese sources, but I am curious whether this phrase is actually used in certain parts of the UK/USA (even if informally), or whether it is found in some other forms of English.

Answer 1

A friend of mine worked at one of the British national newspapers in Fleet Street, London, during the 1970s. His job was in the 'copy' office, and he gave me a guided tour one evening.

A reporter would use a public telephone to call the copy office to dictate his story.

The reporter spoke to a person who typed the story using a typewriter, and 'full stop' was used to mark the end of a sentence, and 'fresh line' was for a new line.

There are some videos on youtube of documentaries made around this time, although I couldn't find one that used the exact phrase. Have a look at Thames TV documentary "Working for a newspaper 1977" for an example of 'copy' being taken, where the reporter reads out 'apostrophe' and digits for clarity.

With laptops and mobile phones, this practice ceased. I have not heard this phrase being used anywhere else.

I can imagine though it being used to add importance to a subject, perhaps preceding it with "Hold the Front Page!".