D Peter Maus wrote:

Phoon Hencman wrote:
On 2007-07-28 00:12:20 -0400, dxAce said:

How frickin stupid can the journalists of California be? Dumber than a
fake
Hispanic?

Ya got a bunch of dumbass *******s floating around in helicopters,
trying to get
the best shot of another dumbass ******* involved in a high speed
chase and the
dumbass *******s in the helicopters all die?

Best to let the authorities on the ground do their jobs?


Phoenix is a very aggressive market for TV news. Even more so than
Chicago in many instances. The use of helicopters is likewise very
aggressive. More so than other markets. Because Phoenix is considered a
feeder market for LA, the pilots, reporters, producers and
photographers are all more aggressive than they need to be in order to
get the attention the LA market for the move up, the higher salaries,
yada yada yada.

The huge number of Californians living full or part time in Phoenix
has made it easy for LA media to consider Phoenix a suburb of LA. Which
exacerbates the problem. And most of the media coverage of this event
began with LA stations, not Phoenix stations. LA had video on the air
before Phoenix did. Albeit, not by much.

So, Pheonix is an atypical market for TV news coverage. More
aggressive that most markets of it's size, often more aggressive than
top 5 markets, with personal agendae often driving much of what gets to
air.

FAA reps interviewed by LA CBS 2 said that Phoenix' use of
helicopters is also unique. And where the collision occurred was Class
Bravo Surface Area. That means, literally, right off the end of a Class
B airport runway system. Once cleared into the area by ATC, the pilots
were on their own to manage safety, intervals and spacing. And FAA regs
under those conditions are 'see and avoid,' with the ultimate
responsibility for the safety of each aircraft resting with the Pilot in
Command.

What happened here was a tragedy. And it was wholly avoidable.


They do it for ratings. It all about ratings for the media. A great car
chase brings people in. They should have an all car chase channel. How
the **** they can have an all golf channel is beyond me....

It's not just about ratings. It's also about getting personal credit
for the shot that puts the station over the top, to get attention of
those who would lure the winner away with offers in markets like,
especially like, LA.

The stations are aggressive, to be sure. But the pilots,
photographers, producers and reporters add their own extra level of
aggression for personal benefits.

It's just sad. It really is. And perhaps I was a bit over the top in referring
to them as dumbasses (and yes, I realize the story originates in Arizona), so I
humbly apologize to them (yeah, they're gone, but they watch) and to their
families.

dxAce
Michigan
USA