leach 0 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 This is a very strong rumor going around my neck of the woods ( Shenandoah Valley, Virginia ) that Gray Television's WHSV-TV channel 3 is getting a chopper later this year to be used not only for WHSV's Harrisonburg newscasts but also up the valley for Gray's TV3 Winchester newscasts as well. If this rumor turns out to be true, it does seem odd that Harrisonburg/Winchester is getting a chopper while down the valley in the much bigger Roanoke-Lynchburg, none of their station have any interest at all in using them even though as big as that market is ( area wise ), I am surprised at least one of them doesn't have one. Same thing up north on I-81 in the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster, PA market. No choppers there either !! And that market is a top 40 one !!! I heard a few years back that WGAL looked into getting one but for one reason or another passed on the idea. All of this makes me wonder, are there any markets below 100 that has a station that uses choppers? The only one I can think of is Salisbury, MD with WBOC-TV 16. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
5Viewer 1 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 WNDU NBC NewsCenter 16 (DMA 89) has a chopper. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34742 Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstNews8 13 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Local TV LLC has a thing where 2 stations share a chopper.... like WHO-TV shares with WQAD and so on.... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34746 Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrfRptr 3 Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 $$$$ Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34752 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dude From VA 0 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 WHSV...with a chopper?! That's funny! As small as this market is and with as little use as it would get (seriously, what happens around here that warrants a chopper?), I can't see Gray getting one for WHSV ANYTIME soon. -Tybois Uphold Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34766 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Dillweed 74 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 KTEN in tiny Ada/Ardmore/Sherman had a chopper when Lockwood Broadcasting bought the station several years ago. Not sure if they still have it, but it was used mainly for Friday night HS football games. And WAY back in the late '70s/early '80s, Terre Haute's WTHI-TV had what looked like an old medivac helicopter that looked like it came straight out of the "M*A*S*H" open. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34767 Share on other sites More sharing options...
alaskanews 113 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 KIMO had one YEARS ago when they were good (quite the fall from grace looking at them now) as seen here Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34768 Share on other sites More sharing options...
susquvalleywgal 517 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Same thing up north on I-81 in the Harrisburg-York-Lancaster, PA market. No choppers there either !! And that market is a top 40 one !!! I heard a few years back that WGAL looked into getting one but for one reason or another passed on the idea. Interesting thing that you brought that up. I would definitely like to hear more on that WGAL chopper thing. A few weeks back, there was a a bad tour bus accident in Adams County, near Gettysburg. WGAL was first with breaking news (including new full screen breaking news graphics) and they said that News 8 Airborne is getting pics from the scene. Well this 'News 8 Airborne' is just a prop plane that they use like never ever. It always amazes me that my market never has a news chopper. A few years ago, when the Susquehanna River flooded pretty bad, I found it so embarrassing that ABC27 had to 'rent' a plane to get arial shots. Now that's bad. -- matt Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34776 Share on other sites More sharing options...
newzie 0 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 Local TV LLC has a thing where 2 stations share a chopper.... like WHO-TV shares with WQAD and so on.... Don't forget KCRG in Cedar Rapids. They had a chopper since the early to mid 90's which was much sooner than some larger market stations. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34782 Share on other sites More sharing options...
leach 0 Posted June 3, 2008 Author Share Posted June 3, 2008 Interesting thing that you brought that up. I would definitely like to hear more on that WGAL chopper thing. A few weeks back, there was a a bad tour bus accident in Adams County, near Gettysburg. WGAL was first with breaking news (including new full screen breaking news graphics) and they said that News 8 Airborne is getting pics from the scene. Well this 'News 8 Airborne' is just a prop plane that they use like never ever. It always amazes me that my market never has a news chopper. A few years ago, when the Susquehanna River flooded pretty bad, I found it so embarrassing that ABC27 had to 'rent' a plane to get arial shots. Now that's bad. -- matt A few years back I seem to recall reading elsewhere ( sadly I forgot where ) that Hearst was thinking about getting a chopper for WGAL but I heard various stories why they didn't, the expense of having one was one reason I remember hearing why they didn't. Oddly down I-81 in the Hagerstown, MD-Chambersburg, PA area, WJAL-TV 68 for a brief time in the late 90s, they actually had a chopper !!! However in WJAL's case it wasn't used for news, only for promotional purposes such as offering rides to the public at county fairs and to shoot commericals. And WJAL didn't even paid a dime to use it either as the chopper belonged to ( though indirectly ) to Martinsburg, West Virginia's WEPM-AM radio. A sales guy who worked at both WEPM and WJAL actually owned that chopper and WEPM paid for the use of it ( such as gas ) but the sales guy was the main owner. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34786 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WickedYoungMan 0 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 WANE-TV in Fort Wayne has something called "News Chopper 15" which I see every once in a great while. I don't know if it's one they were sharing with someone else or what but can't imagine why they would own it when I think I've only ever seen it used like 3 times in the past year! Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34791 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestbiteme 13 Posted June 3, 2008 Share Posted June 3, 2008 WTRF technically has one-- it's shared throughout the WVMH group. When you take out the mountains and non-straight roads, it can be up here pretty quickly. Last time I saw it used was... 2003, I think, during some sort of mine explosion. Back around '95, WTOV did have their own. I'm guessing STC kept it when WTOV and WJAC were sold to COX, since WPXI is close enough, should it be warranted, to have Chopper11 cover it. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/3822-small-markets-with-news-choppers/#findComment-34800 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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