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large markets without a chopper

WKBW

>
> To my knowledge Buffalo doesn't. Dittos with
> Charleston-Huntington. However as it was with Nashville both
> of those markets at one time did have at least one station
> that had used them. I remember hearing about a "sky 7"
> listening to WKBW Radio back in the 70's. I would imagine it
> was for their channel 7 Eyewitness News. When did they stop
> flying? Why?

Somewhere online ( reelradio.com? ) there is an aircheck from WKBW 1520 from the
70's that mention about a "Sky 7". Could've been a helicopter, maybe an airplane. I do know that WKBW-TV used to advertise a lot on WKBW Radio when they were sister stations but once Cap Cities sold off WKBW radio to become WWKB, channel 7 pretty much dropped their ads and the other Buffalo stations like WGRZ and WIVB, even WUTV-TV 29 their ads began to be heard on 1520. If either of those stations aired on 1520 when WKBW radio and WKBW-TV were sisters, it had to be very rarely as I don't remember.

I seem to remember that WIVB channel 4 had their own news helicopter years ago.

Can't answer why either WKBW or WIVB stopped using them. Maybe because Buffalo isn't the big city it once was.

On a similar note, wonder if any of the Toronto stations use choppers? I am pretty sure CITY does though they weren't when I was up there last year. Could be taking the day off I suppose.
 
Canadian Choppers

> On a similar note, wonder if any of the Toronto stations use
> choppers? I am pretty sure CITY does though they weren't
> when I was up there last year. Could be taking the day off
> I suppose.

I don't think CITY has a chopper, but CFTO (CTV O&O) and CIII (Global O&O) do.<P ID="signature">______________
Derek
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.tvvancouver.cjb.net>TV.Vancouver</a>: Covering TV stations in Vancouver, BC</P>
 
Re: Denver has had a chopper...

Hi everyone:

> I know Pat said besides Denver. But just to clarify, all
> six Denver stations (KWGN-WB2, KCNC-CBS4, KMGH-ABC7,
> KUSA-NBC9 & KDVR-FOX31) have chopers. In fact KUSA has had
> a long history of accidents, including one well publiced
> even in the early 90's when the choper crashed in a mountain
> lake, critically injuring the pilot/reporter. Also KUSA and
> KOA radio share a helicopter (SKY9/Traffic Copter 850)

Hmm....That's funny. I knew that 4, 7, 9 & 31 all have choppers, but I've NEVER seen KWGN 2 promoting themselves as having a chopper. Have you Dawn?

I know they air those often BEAUTIFUL aerial shots of the city during their 9:00 PM news as I've seen them. But they never seem to make mention of their having a helicopter. Strange...

Ohh...Since you brought up the times when news choppers become a part of the news itself, we can't list Denver in this category remembering THE MOTHER of all news helicopter hovered police chases - THE ONE THAT STARTED IT ALL (even Southern California couldn't top this one!).

That being the chase back in the 1980s that was ended in a shopping center parking lot when KCNC 4 pilot Mike Silva lowered the helicopter in front of the stolen truck with the fugitive and hostage inside. That gave the police the leverage they needed to end it. Silva may have been reprimanded by the station for putting himself and his photographer in danger, but they were also quick to get the video to NBC (as they were owned by NBC back then), who put it on the evening news.

Anybody here besides me remember seeing it?

They later made a TV movie out of it, which of course NBC aired.

Anyhow...Just an addendum to my earlier post. :)

Cheers :)

Pat<P ID="signature">______________
patspodcast03a.jpg

http://patspodcast.blogspot.com/
Radio? Uhh.....What's THAT?? :)</P>
 
Re: Denver has had a chopper...

> Hmm....That's funny. I knew that 4, 7, 9 & 31 all have
> choppers, but I've NEVER seen KWGN 2 promoting themselves as
> having a chopper. Have you Dawn?
>
> I know they air those often BEAUTIFUL aerial shots of the
> city during their 9:00 PM news as I've seen them. But they
> never seem to make mention of their having a helicopter.
> Strange...
>

Pat,

I believe KWGN does have a chopper. I don't watch WB2 News all that much so I couldn't really say for sure. I do know like you stated that they do aerial shots so I would imagine that to get those shots they have to have a chopper or have an agreement with another station that does. I know KWGN does have an agreement with KUSA for some news footage.<P ID="signature">______________
Dawn H</P>
 
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