Darius22 120 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Apparently KCRA's LiveCopter3 is the only station that has a helicopter since KXTV's Air 10 and KTXL's SkyFox40 somewhat retired their Choppers. I wonder if those couldn't compete with KCRA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRolyPoly 1847 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 In my area, I got two. WSVN 7's 7 SkyForce which is all alone because WPLG 10's Sky 10 is broadcast on WPLG, WFOR (as Chopper 4) and WTVJ (as Chopper 6), along with WLTV 23 and WSCV 51 (in which both also use WPLG's feed). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 According to this 2013 article in TVNewsCheck KXTV signed a lease for the helicopter but it would only be used sparingly. I'm surprised KOVR doesn't have their own bird. Seems like most CBS O&O's have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius22 120 Posted September 25, 2015 Author Share Posted September 25, 2015 According to this 2013 article in TVNewsCheck KXTV signed a lease for the helicopter but it would only be used sparingly. I'm surprised KOVR doesn't have their own bird. Seems like most CBS O&O's have one. yeah the only closest they have to a chopper is From either (For some reason) KGO's Sky7 HD or KPIX Chopper5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Block 1489 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Apparently KCRA's LiveCopter3 is the only station that has a helicopter since KXTV's Air 10 and KTXL's SkyFox40 somewhat retired their Choppers. I wonder if those couldn't compete with KCRA? Helicopters don't compete with each other— instead, they burn through large piles of cash. They're nice to have and are a great promotional tool, but they don't always justify their cost. Helicopter sharing also isn't anything new. In Denver, there's only one helicopter for all the stations, even though they pretend they have their own by continuing to use their separate chopper brandings. KDVR left the pool for a while, but I believe they're back. And yes, the same pictures can and do show up on all four stations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1679 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Helicopters don't compete with each other— instead, they burn through large piles of cash. They're nice to have and are a great promotional tool, but they don't always justify their cost.The events of the past year in Baltimore definitely have justified the cost for the two birds for WBAL & WJZ from Baltimore plus the helicopter from DC that was overhead most evenings. Plus they are good for the car chases and showing angles that a person couldn't get on the ground. I remember during the Columbia Mall Shooting in 2014 WBAL's helicopter was the only one who had an HD camera that could see through the malls skylights to show the use of the bomb robot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susquvalleywgal 494 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Be lucky you have one. Here in the HLLY market, we have no helicopters. -- Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
news89 467 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Here in the Cleveland market Tribune's WJW has SkyFox. Which was brought back in early 2011 during "Local TV" ownership days. SkyFox was grounded in 2008 like other choppers that year. I know WKYC, WEWS, and WOIO had one. When the rest of the Cleveland stations grounded their choppers WOIO made sure the viewers knew they were only one in town with a chopper. Now WJW does air a tease promo from time to time with SkyFox and saying "the only chopper in town". WJW's skyfox isn't full HD, 16x9 digital WS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 If I had a TV station I would name my helicopter "Spy Eye 1000". I would have SpyEye shoot all kinds of stuff, but we would NEVER show it on the air. I would tell the pilots to always fly low and use that zoom. When people call the newsroom and ask.. "When can I see the SpyEye video?" I would tell them... "Never, because we are saving it all for the government". That will freak everyone out on Facebook and Twitter...and my newscast will be #1 in it's very first ratings book. Or to really piss people off I will use a Robinson R-44 Diesel...one smokey and noisy moo-fo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimmykun 13 Posted September 25, 2015 Share Posted September 25, 2015 Puerto Rico's stations have a combined zero choppers. WAPA did have one during its LIN years (branded Noticóptero), but when LIN sold the station, the chopper was quickly sold off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
localnewsman 1 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I work for KXTV, and yes we do have a helicopter that we use on occasion for breaking news situations. It's called Sky10 and is based at Sacramento Executive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 I work for KXTV, and yes we do have a helicopter that we use on occasion for breaking news situations. It's called Sky10 and is based at Sacramento Executive. Former KGTV Sky 10 I believe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
localnewsman 1 Posted September 27, 2015 Share Posted September 27, 2015 Former KGTV Sky 10 I believe? Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius22 120 Posted September 28, 2015 Author Share Posted September 28, 2015 Yes. Oh ok. so maybe it is used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oklahomanewsman 210 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Where I live at I get Oklahoma City stations and the only English language news station to not have a chopper is KOKH. KFOR (Bob Moore Chopper 4) KOCO (Sky 5) and KWTV (Bob Mills SkyNews 9 HD) all have choppers and out of the 3 stations in OKC that have choppers KOCO's Sky 5 is the only helicopter used in the mornings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexagonal10 84 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Pretty sure Buffalo doesn't have Choppers at all. So we're all cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eat News 4738 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Pretty sure Buffalo doesn't have Choppers at all. So we're all cameras. I thought they had live Zamboni and Plow-Cams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hexagonal10 84 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I thought they had live Zamboni and Plow-Cams. Something like the WKBW Sky Watch and everyone else doesn't use the name. Then again, we had flying manholes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
news89 467 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 WOWK had a chopper once between the years of 1997 to 2003. Was the only one in WV. When WV Media bought WOWK it was kept on for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnya2k6 171 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 WOWK had a chopper once between the years of 1997 to 2003. Was the only one in WV. When WV Media bought WOWK it was kept on for awhile. I thought WSAZ, being the long-dominant station in West Virginia, would have enough in their budget to afford for a chopper themselves. Meanwhile, WDSU at one point in the '80s had "Sky 6", which was the first (and perhaps only) news chopper in New Orleans. And to get aerial shots of what Hurricane Katrina did to the Mississippi coast, WLOX used sister station WLBT's chopper (the only one in Mississippi). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AaronQ 260 Posted October 6, 2015 Share Posted October 6, 2015 IIRC, WCNC used to have a chopper called "AirStar" (previously called "AirStar 6" and "AirStar 36") and I haven't seen them use it since. WBTV ("Sky 3") and WSOC TV ("Chopper 9 Skyzoom") still have their own respected choppers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10Viewer 319 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 In Columbus, OH, all three network affiliates have a helicopter: Chopper 10, Chopper 4 and Sky 6. Honestly, it's kind of overkill for the size of the market. WBNS makes fairly regular use of its bird and the others less so. In Tampa, only there are only two helicopters: Eagle 8 and Action Air One (WFTS, WTVT, WTSP). They all used to have a bird but budget cuts caused WFTS and WTVT to combine forces. WTSP then dropped it's longtime Sky 10 in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJClementeFan69 477 Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Choppers are quickly becoming a thing of the past and once all of the kinks get sorted out with drones, helicopters will be as good as dead as far as news is concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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