The Newsroom

Westminster Security Incident

Firearms incident on Westminster Bridge (March 2017)

This site closed in March 2021 and is now a read-only archive
MA
Markymark
Inspector Sands posted:

There's really not that many incidents at Heathrow or Gatwick. The last crash I think was the BA one in 2006(?) and that happened outside the airport. Weather problems are more common, but it's normally fog and that's going to obscure the camera too.


January 2008, a BA jet suffered fuel stavation on approach and crash landed within the airfield, just short of the runway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38

However, that's all an aside, as you say, permanent cameras at LHR or LGW (or any other UK airport) would be largely pointless
IS
Inspector Sands
Markymark posted:

January 2008, a BA jet suffered fuel stavation on approach and crash landed within the airfield, just short of the runway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38

That's the one I was thinking of.
RE
Rex
Unspun returning to the schedule tonight, following last night's terror attack at Westminster.



CA
cat
All fair point
Markymark posted:
Inspector Sands posted:

There's really not that many incidents at Heathrow or Gatwick. The last crash I think was the BA one in 2006(?) and that happened outside the airport. Weather problems are more common, but it's normally fog and that's going to obscure the camera too.


January 2008, a BA jet suffered fuel stavation on approach and crash landed within the airfield, just short of the runway

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Airways_Flight_38

However, that's all an aside, as you say, permanent cameras at LHR or LGW (or any other UK airport) would be largely pointless


Yes although arguably the Westminster ones are largely pointless.. apart from yesterday when they were not. I could see a case for ones at airports or one over Buckingham Palace, purely to give the viewer something to look at during the early minutes of coverage. Assuming cost were no issue, which of course it isn't.

I remember reading a while back that ABC had a live camera locked down over the Vatican to flip on whenever the Pope went, which they duly did and were able to show pictures of mourners arriving before other networks.

But as you say, rare events and it's a circular argument we will get into about their worth.

I appreciate the clarification; very helpful.

For what it's worth, as someone who used to work in Parliament and spends most of my week in Westminster, I thought all the broadcasters did an excellent job. I ended up walking home listening to 5live, who struck the right tone.
NB
nbafan89
And wanted down under is now on bbc2 with I assume a news special on bbc1
DV
dvboy
Inspector Sands posted:
Mouseboy33 posted:

They are great arent they for immediate live pictures and very useful for weather shots and live breaking news. Some have derided tower cams on this site in the past, but they do prove to be a valuable source for getting pictures on air immediately. This serious incident was one such case that proves their value for a visual medium such as television. Until a reporter can arrive on scene or a chopper is scrambled to do a fly over these pics can be use to enhance coverage. These should be deployed in most major UK cities and at the major airports. (A couple atop the Shard in London, The Beetham in Manchester, Bullring in Birmingham, etc.)

They can be useful, if the incident they're trying to film is either very big (i.e. involves a plume of smoke) or just so happens to be in the right place.


Yesterday was a very rare example of the second. The problem with cameras on top of towers is that they're normally surrounded by low rise buildings. I don't know what you'd be able to film from the top of a tower in Birmingham (when you say The Bullring I assume you mean The Rotunda) except the roofs of the surrounding buildings.

The few BBC cameras in London were useless on 7/7 and 21/7 2005 for example. On 9/11 they could be used to keep an eye on the BT Tower for example

You'd need more than one camera to cover the centre of a city the size of Birmingham. Alpha Tower and the BT Tower would make good vantage points but i don't know if they have cameras (Alpha Tower has a CCTV camera on the side covering a huge area) There are also several traffic cameras with really wide views along the Aston Expressway which are publicly accessible.
Last edited by dvboy on 23 March 2017 11:21am
RO
rob Founding member
I've compiled a playlist of the videos I've uploaded from yesterday and today for anyone who's interested. This includes coverage from BBC News, ITV News, and Good Morning Britain.

EDIT: GMB videos removed thanks to copyright claims.
Last edited by rob on 23 March 2017 9:36pm
TM
tmorgan96
By complete coincidence I'd found your video of the BBC News at Six earlier Rob and was watching it.

Does anyone have a vid of the BBC News at Ten?

Also, I've seen it captioned on astons 'eye witness'. Are eye and witness kept separate in the UK? In the US and Australia I've always seen it spelt 'eyewitness'.
RO
rob Founding member
tmorgan96 posted:

Does anyone have a vid of the BBC News at Ten?


I will have in about 30 minutes. Will upload to Here Is The News
GU
guest03
uktvwatcher posted:
In Germany Tagesschau 24 and Phoenix are running rolling coverage.


*
*
paul_hadley, London Lite and rob gave kudos
TM
tmorgan96
rob posted:
tmorgan96 posted:

Does anyone have a vid of the BBC News at Ten?


I will have in about 30 minutes. Will upload to Here Is The News

Thanks man
WO
Worzel
I was on the radio yesterday as the attack unfolded (and ended up reporting it) so didn't see much of the early TV footage.

It was impressive to see Robert Nisbit from Sky News get live on the ground within 5 minutes seemingly using a 4G connection and smartphone. Indeed, IRN sent down a clip of him within 10 minutes.

I noticed in Laura Kuensberg's report last night that there was, what looked like a camera shot on college green with the Police telling people to run. Was that a camera left rolling from a reporter on the green covering PMQs earlier or was a reporter doing a piece to camera at the time?

*
Last edited by Worzel on 23 March 2017 12:13pm - 5 times in total

Newer posts