How can I start my own pager network?

I'm looking to start something similar to a sports pager network.
These companies send you a multi-line alpha-numeric pager that
recieves various updates on sports scores, weather, etx. It's all
one-way communication - there is no need for the pagers to have an
individual phone number or recieve messages from more than one source.

So, my question is as follows:

1 - I imagine that i would have to partner with a paging company to
provide the airtime - which specific companies offer this capability?
What are the typical fees associated with something like this?

2 - I want to be able to feed the information from my own terminal.
Which programs would I use to send the information alerts to my users?
Are there any programs that provide an API interface that would allow
my to send message automatically from other programs?

3 - Will I be able to issue my own branded pagers?

Jim,

So are you thinking say 5 or 6 pagers, or hundreds, or thousands?

You have asked a complex question and offered 5 bucks.  Good luck. 
Perhaps you could intern for a while at the pager company of choice to
get an idea of how they operate.

Clint

I envision this network having something in the multiple-hundreds of
pagers. Say, 200-300 pagers for the entire network.

An on-site pager network:
How Stuff Works
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/restaurant-pager1.htm

Best regards,

Omnivorous-GA

Yes, I'm familiar with that article and it's very close. The main
differences would be:

1 - I need national coverage. I need to be able to take a pager,
program it and then mail it to the person and have it work "out of the
box".

2 - I need to be able to constantly send alpha-numeric messages to the
pager. I'd like to be able to use the Motorola pagers that have
multiple "boxes". But regardless, I need a more sophisticated system
than this - a restaurant just needs to send an alert and buzz
tone/command - I need to be able to send text and whatnot.