So what are the smaller markets that have TV news helicopters and how are they used? I know it's been tried down here in Mobile at least twice, but it never lasted very long. I remember Jackson, MS having one for a while (they still might). Back in the day I thought the trend might spread through most of the top 100 markets, but now I really don't know of any mid-size markets with a TV (or radio) chopper, at least in the southeast. I'm not even sure Atlanta still has any.
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News Choppers
- Thread starter Poledo
- Start date
Here in ATL,
Channel 2 Action News(Chopper 2)
FOX 5 NEWS(Sky Fox)
CBS Atlanta News (Sky Eye)
Our NBC affiliate 11 ALIVE doesn't have one.
Channel 2 Action News(Chopper 2)
FOX 5 NEWS(Sky Fox)
CBS Atlanta News (Sky Eye)
Our NBC affiliate 11 ALIVE doesn't have one.
Where I live, WBOC TV 16 Salisbury,MD/Dover, DE (CBS) has had a chopper for at least 7-8+ years and has been HD since 2005. I just looked it up and Salisbury is #144 market if the info is accurate.
3 of the Houston stations pool now. KPRC (NBC/Post Newsweek), KHOU (CBS/Belo) and KRIV (Fox/Fox O&O) all use KPRC's Sky 2, though KHOU and KRIV still refer to it using the names of the choppers they retired to save $$$$: Air 11 and SkyFox. Rather deceptive. Stations in several other cities are doing the same. No. 1-rated KTRK (ABC/ABC O&O) has its own chopper.
Can they do that?intx said:
This chopper-chatter reminds me of the Albuquerque NM market of the early '70s. The old KGGM TV Channel 13 was the running joke of local TV News, paying extremely low wages and predictably, attracting the poorest on-air talent. Ever sagging in the local ratings, the owner, Bruce Hebenstriet was a talented promoter; he knew how to generate publicity, if not ratings. With little notice, he shocked the local trade by becoming the first Albuquerque TV station to do live traffic reports from a helicopter (1973?).
In those days Albuquerque's population was still around 300,000, so, save for occasional road construction or even icey weather (especially on the city's east side), highway gridlock was a rarity. But that didn't matter to Mr Hebenstriet. He was quite a character.
In those days Albuquerque's population was still around 300,000, so, save for occasional road construction or even icey weather (especially on the city's east side), highway gridlock was a rarity. But that didn't matter to Mr Hebenstriet. He was quite a character.
intx said:
This sort of arrangement is more common than you might think. Just because you hear a station's "unique" chopper branding doesn't mean it's not actually the same aircraft that its competitors are using.
Flip around the stations during breaking news, and if a chopper shot is being used, you will notice that the video is exactly the same.
As mentioned above, KCTV is using the helicopter KSHB leases. The two stations brand it separately, and they have an agreement on who can use the helicopter at what time, although I have seen it on both stations simultaneously for breaking news. There is no talent in the chopper-- only a pilot and a photographer.
Stations individually buy 400-600 hours of flight time per year, but in a sharing agreement, two or three stations can collectively buy more, I suppose. Stations pay for storage as well. In the last years of our helicopter use, we moved the chopper from downtown to Lee's Summit Municipal because of the lesser hangar fees.
KTVI in St. Louis kept their helicopter because they found a sponsor. But now they have to say "Bommarito Automotive SkyFox," which is a mouthful.
Stations individually buy 400-600 hours of flight time per year, but in a sharing agreement, two or three stations can collectively buy more, I suppose. Stations pay for storage as well. In the last years of our helicopter use, we moved the chopper from downtown to Lee's Summit Municipal because of the lesser hangar fees.
KTVI in St. Louis kept their helicopter because they found a sponsor. But now they have to say "Bommarito Automotive SkyFox," which is a mouthful.
w00t said:
Indeed KTLA has that distinction. There was also a period of time when KTLA also had a news boat. I have no idea what they would have used it for.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEPdDwozZOQ
I Understand that in San Francisco, New York and Chicago the Helicopters are mainly used to air breaking news like Demonstrations, Shootings and Disasters. But in LA, San Diego, Houston, Dallas and Phoenix they are used to air a car chases live and of course KCAL9's sky9 is the most famous example of using its helicopter to air live car chases during its newscasts.
w00t said:
Probably true. I recall that KTLA had their "telecopter" as far back as the late 50s - probably earlier. KTLA prided itself on being first to the scene of stories, and they generally were.
KTLA was the first to have a copter- and they were the first to provide aerial shots of the Baldwin Hills Dam break in 1963 since I believe they were the only LA station that had one at the time. I believe this advantage in news coverage prompted the other LA stations to go into the chopper reporting business.
Mediafrog+ said:
Each of the stations here "share" assignment management of the helicopter on a rotating monthly basis and generally "pre-clear" with the other two on covering a story and to give them a heads up to start rolling on the video feed.
Each station can also request "private time" to shoot video for a station-specific story. But, in the time I've been working at Fox 26, I've seen KHOU use a "private time" request to burn the other partners on a breaking news story.
I believe there's actually two choppers available...one with a recording deck and one without.
KHOU, recently, has been advertising a sponsored "traffic chopper" for their morning newscast. They tried to use the primary chopper during July sweeps, but that didn't go over well with the partners. Makes me think they're paying to use the back-up during those hours.
Charleston only had one station using a chopper (WCSC), but they stopped using it years ago (probably 8-10). They didn't own it, instead sharing it with the local police.
They used it once or twice for car chases. One time this guy wrecked in a median after evading the cops for 5 hours. He had 30 rounds fired at his stolen test driven car. It was a huge deal. They showed promos for months about it.
Singer Edwin McCain was in the helicopter that day. Now I think it would make more sense with our growing population, and all of the area they cover. For traffic all they rely on are phone reports and cameras along the major highways.
They used it once or twice for car chases. One time this guy wrecked in a median after evading the cops for 5 hours. He had 30 rounds fired at his stolen test driven car. It was a huge deal. They showed promos for months about it.
Singer Edwin McCain was in the helicopter that day. Now I think it would make more sense with our growing population, and all of the area they cover. For traffic all they rely on are phone reports and cameras along the major highways.
PHOENIX: After the incident of July 27, 2007 (http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2008/08/choppers.html) where the helicopters of KTVK (Ind) and KNXV (ABC) were involved in a midair collision resulting in the death of both pilots and their cameramen, the helicopter arrangement has been volatile. Once the destroyed machines were replaced, the economy forced some of the stations to ground their aircraft.
Three stations, KTVK (3-IND), KPHO (5-CBS) and KPNX (12-NBC) joined forces and utilize a single helicopter (with the callsign Air 20...3+5+12=20) though each station refers to it as "their" chopper. KSAZ (10-FOX) and KNXV (15-ABC) each have their own helicopter for news reporting and gathering. Additionally, KTVK has entered into an agreement with their former "employee" pilot Bruce Haffner to fly a second helicopter, mostly during the morning show GMAZ, which is sponsored by the Ft. McDowell Indian Reservation Casino.
So from a five helicopter city (pre-accident) we have migrated to a 3 1/2 helicopter city.
Three stations, KTVK (3-IND), KPHO (5-CBS) and KPNX (12-NBC) joined forces and utilize a single helicopter (with the callsign Air 20...3+5+12=20) though each station refers to it as "their" chopper. KSAZ (10-FOX) and KNXV (15-ABC) each have their own helicopter for news reporting and gathering. Additionally, KTVK has entered into an agreement with their former "employee" pilot Bruce Haffner to fly a second helicopter, mostly during the morning show GMAZ, which is sponsored by the Ft. McDowell Indian Reservation Casino.
So from a five helicopter city (pre-accident) we have migrated to a 3 1/2 helicopter city.
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