J
Jul
Guest
Can anyone explain to me why do these TV stations across the US including MSNBC, FOX News Channel love to air these high speed vehicle chases of suspects being chased by police?
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It's real reality TV. I love watching police pursuits plus I'm sure for the news crew, it's a great way to eat up a lot of programming time. The better question to ask is, why don't the idiots being pursued just pull over? Eventually they will crash or the police will stop them. Perhaps they are just looking to postpone the inevitable.
Julius May said:
The same reason some people (not most) watch car races - hoping to see crashes and devastation. There's a big buck to be made playing to people's basest emotions.
Better idea: put the Helicopter pilot on the police frequency, don't shoe it live, but record it to tape if anything interesting happens. WISH-TV did this a few years ago in Indy to cheers -- copter was in the air for AM traffic anyway.
Two things:
1. I'm not sure why anyone/crook get involved in a high speed chase especially in a big city when it's virtually guaranteed that there will be overhead coverage. I believe that a suspect will get at least 3 different felony charges due to the chase.
2. While watching today's (6 July) chase in Houston, I thought I saw another helicopter in the immediate area. Some of you probably remember on 27 July 2007 that there was a horrible helicopter crash in Phoenix when two newscopters crashed. The 4 riders were killed and luckily debris rained into a city park where no one on the ground was killed. There were a lot of changes made to aerial coverage of these types of pursuits.
1. I'm not sure why anyone/crook get involved in a high speed chase especially in a big city when it's virtually guaranteed that there will be overhead coverage. I believe that a suspect will get at least 3 different felony charges due to the chase.
2. While watching today's (6 July) chase in Houston, I thought I saw another helicopter in the immediate area. Some of you probably remember on 27 July 2007 that there was a horrible helicopter crash in Phoenix when two newscopters crashed. The 4 riders were killed and luckily debris rained into a city park where no one on the ground was killed. There were a lot of changes made to aerial coverage of these types of pursuits.
They are not as popular today as they were after the OJ chase in 1994...when police chases became popular.
It was a fad that is pretty much over...except possibly in Los Angeles (where there was a paging service alerting people to chases on TV). After several incidents, one of which involving the suspect offing himself on live TV, stations began showing restraint. Most that do cover live will be using delays.
Within a single market (with the exception of Los Angeles)...these type of chases only occur rarely, which makes them a spectical when they do occur.
It was a fad that is pretty much over...except possibly in Los Angeles (where there was a paging service alerting people to chases on TV). After several incidents, one of which involving the suspect offing himself on live TV, stations began showing restraint. Most that do cover live will be using delays.
Within a single market (with the exception of Los Angeles)...these type of chases only occur rarely, which makes them a spectical when they do occur.
Why are they there? Simple...Sheriff John Bunnell needs to alert us to the dangers of trying to run from the police. Also, why do the guys narrating the chases all sound like the co-host of the Morning Zoo in Peoria?
S
searadiofreak
Guest
Southern California copter reporter Bob Tur is the voice of many of these chases on the syndicaded shows. I've noticed that he re-creates a lot of them, it isn't the actual sound from the chase.
My question is why do some markets cover these, and others won't touch them. Seems most of the markets that do them are either in Southern California, Arizona, and Texas. On the hand, you hardly ever see them in Seattle and northern markets. Different type of audiences? Different mindset?
My question is why do some markets cover these, and others won't touch them. Seems most of the markets that do them are either in Southern California, Arizona, and Texas. On the hand, you hardly ever see them in Seattle and northern markets. Different type of audiences? Different mindset?
I think one reason is because of the number of helicopters a station has in the sky at one time. For example, I'm fairly sure that CBS2 in Los Angeles has two helicopters so they can cover more area at one time. Also some stations in other markets might only have helicopters running during the morning and evening rush hour. In Los Angeles, I think the helicopters are flying throughout the day, except for the overnight hours. Not sure though but it seems televised pursuits happen any time of the day in Los Angeles. In the SF Bay Area, they don't show any pursuits on live TV. CBS5 in San Francisco does have footage of a few pursuits, but those weren't shown live on TV. Instead the footage is on their website, in their video library under "Raw Video" so there's no commentary at all.
Stations in larger markets have the money to keep the helicopter in the air all day. We buy a strict number of hours each year, so we can't fly all day hoping for breaking news. The last chase I remember in Kansas City airing on live TV happened last year; two guys 'jacked a pickup truck, drove off-road through construction sites and ravines, then bailed out under a bridge. They escaped.
Personally, I've never seen research in any market on whether viewers like watching chases, or if they're sick of them.
Personally, I've never seen research in any market on whether viewers like watching chases, or if they're sick of them.
K
kenrayc
Guest
If there's a police chase going on at 10 PM in L.A. KTLA will always carry it instead of their regular 10 PM news.
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