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when should a station break in(Re: Colorado shooting)


danderson500

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apparently someone scolded denver 7 and the person running the facebook posted this

"hat isn't my decision, it is a byproduct of contracts and resources. I'm in contact with additional managers now and I'm certain you'll find everything about this situation that you need to know if you check this link:http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/colorado-springs-area/active-shooter-reported-at-planned-parenthood-in-colorado-springs "

Since the Colorado shooting was something that warranted breaking news, the should have at least broken in and did a split-screen. KSNV did this during a NASCAR race months ago.

That's a question of what your graphics and technology will support.. I think split screens like that are rather uncommon...

Before you can do break-ins and split screens...you have to get permission.

 

Sometimes the people in the chain of command are not quickly available to make those decisions. Most stations will not allow a News Director to step all over required network programs. Others will need to pow-wow first...unless the network decides to go balls to the wall.

 

And some stations give the ND 100% approval for complete override of whatever is on the air (usually weather only)....just a few.

It's a lose/lose scenario and anytime some station does something people will take to social media to complain about it. Probably doing a split-screen would work but I'm not sure if it'll make people on social media happy or not.

I think this would be an occasion to interrupt programming in the local market. In my view anytime there's an active threat to public safety whether it's weather or an active shooter situation stations should be on the air advising people to what to do and how to avoid.

 

How close is Colorado Springs to other markets? If it's a significant distance then just let the locals handle it. If it's something close like the Baltimore / Washington (roughly 40 miles between the main transmitters for each market) then I could understand a local station out of market covering it.

How close is Colorado Springs to other markets? If it's a significant distance then just let the locals handle it. If it's something close like the Baltimore / Washington (roughly 40 miles between the main transmitters for each market) then I could understand a local station out of market covering it.

 

Colorado Springs is about 90 minutes from Denver. Monument Hill prevents each market's signals from crossing into one another, but it's pretty easy to get Denver TV from almost anywhere in the state. There's not a lot of significant population in the fringes of their viewing areas, but major stories like this would be of interest to people in Denver.

 

The more appalling thing in the coverage of this story, though, is that the reputable Colorado Springs Gazette was reporting on scanner traffic on Twitter without verifying with a PIO what they heard, and they were defending their decision to do so. I was shocked to see that.

KCRA had to cut days of our lives off into a severe weather report once. they should've kept the show on and put the ticker on it instead.

 

Stations are required by the FCC to visually and aurally communicate certain severe weather warnings along with a specific set of safety tips. If they just put up a ticker, they'd have to air the garbage-sounding robot EAS voice as well. That's why some stations are less hesitant to cut in for weather: A meteorologist is probably able to say the entire script quicker than the EAS robot can and it sounds much better.

The more appalling thing in the coverage of this story, though, is that the reputable Colorado Springs Gazette was reporting on scanner traffic on Twitter without verifying with a PIO what they heard, and they were defending their decision to do so. I was shocked to see that.

 

What appalled me the most was trying to grab KOA in Denver on radio via the iHeart app confident they'd have coverage...instead it was Hannity on tape and later just grabbing ABC News Radio off the wire. We get all these stations that promote 'breaking news when it happens' in taglines but they never seem to until after the call-in regulars get their fringe theories in or just throw it to the network and move on.

What appalled me the most was trying to grab KOA in Denver on radio via the iHeart app confident they'd have coverage...instead it was Hannity on tape and later just grabbing ABC News Radio off the wire. We get all these stations that promote 'breaking news when it happens' in taglines but they never seem to until after the call-in regulars get their fringe theories in or just throw it to the network and move on.

There was probably nobody at the station to cut to... There isn't a worse time then a holiday weekend to have an emergency...

I feel that when the information is lifesaving and warrants a cut-in or wall-to-wall coverage, then so be it. The Colorado Springs shooting was a major news story and impacted many lives. Something less dramatic, such as a severe thunderstorm warning or a bank robbery with an unarmed suspect holding numerous people hostage, would allow for a ticker or a brief cut-in during a commercial break.

 

The entire severe weather discussion can be taken way out of line. Many stations have a strict policy when it comes to severe weather. A tornado warning usually has a station on air for the duration of the warning unless there's firm evidence of a weakening storm to the point where the meteorologist(s) put normal programming back on the air with the automatic ticker/map. There are instances where a severe thunderstorm warning can quickly turn into a tornado warning, therefore requiring the station to remain on with weather coverage. Smaller markets usually just let a ticker do the job for any event whether it be news or weather as most are working with a small amount of staff (especially on weekends).

You can't please everyone. Colorado Springs stations were right to break into programming.

 

Play-by-play of scanner traffic is a different topic, but I saw a lot of it on Twitter yesterday.

 

Really sometimes it just comes down to how "sexy" the story really is.

Yes...

I said sexy.

 

As far as repeating what is heard on a scanner???

Sorry but that ship sailed long ago.

The newsgathering world decides that...not the scanner enthusiast.

 

PIO's often lie, and newsgathering IS a competition. Scanner traffic IS first hand info,and some should... and should not be shared. But that is up to the news directors and EP's to decide...NOT the police.

If the cops don't like it then they can encrypt traffic...

If the public wants UN-encrypted communications they can vote for, and demand clear communications.

 

You don't get it both ways...but I will admit that very few ND's are capable of

of making that decision in a breaking and very fluid situation.

 

When you are forced to make the decision about scanner traffic you will see that every situation is different...and you only have one shot at the right decision.

Stations are required by the FCC to visually and aurally communicate certain severe weather warnings along with a specific set of safety tips. If they just put up a ticker, they'd have to air the garbage-sounding robot EAS voice as well. That's why some stations are less hesitant to cut in for weather: A meteorologist is probably able to say the entire script quicker than the EAS robot can and it sounds much better.

 

That's how KOVR Does it. KXTV does a "This is home" Sounder followed by a ticker and a Doppler radar in the background and on top of that an EAS usually happens in between or during the ellen show.

That's how KOVR Does it. KXTV does a "This is home" Sounder followed by a ticker and a Doppler radar in the background and on top of that an EAS usually happens in between or during the ellen show.

 

It depends if they should or shouldn't break in for severe weather. If it is a Tornado Warning then yes it does make sense to break in regardless of the market, but it is just a Severe Thunderstorm Warning then it was overkill.

this might be a good question but do the anchors stay in the studio until the local news starts at 11? I was thinking back in the 80s would Jennings stay in late in case something big broke like during the network movie or China Beach or Monday Night Football? just asking

this might be a good question but do the anchors stay in the studio until the local news starts at 11? I was thinking back in the 80s would Jennings stay in late in case something big broke like during the network movie or China Beach or Monday Night Football? just asking

 

when Bob Simon died Scott Pelley was at a broadway play with his wife so they had to find him pull him out and have him rush back with a company car

ABC would usually have Ted Koppel on standby in Washington just in case. Same thing with Brit Hume on Saturdays or even Tom Jarrell on Sundays(those guys did the news briefs so they would be there already.) this was back in the 80s and early 90s

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