The Newsroom

Flash flooding in Cornwall

BBC v ITV v Sky (August 2004)

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FU
fusionlad Founding member
rts posted:
Interesting to see the BBC getting pictures before Sky. With the SkyCopter, you'd think they'd be there now.


The BBC have probably jumped on board a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Culdrose in Cornwall.
AP
AdamP
c@t posted:
Curious that they are taking audio coverage from Five Live.

Not sure whose helicopter it is, or if the Beeb have rented it out, or something. Quite good pictures, though; just a shame they came two hours after the reports broke, and that they aren't live.


You'd be one of the first to complain about the waste of money if the BBC had helicopters equipped to broadcast live based in every corner of the UK.

I don't know how long you think it takes to get hold of a helicopter, get a cameraman on board, take the pics, get them back, and put them on air, but I don't think an hour and a half from the first reports is too bad.
LO
Londoner
ITV News Channel is now showing some video emailed by a viewer showing the flooding on their farm.
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
James Hatts posted:
ITV News Channel is now showing some video emailed by a viewer showing the flooding on their farm.


LOL, showing the windows media player.
CA
cat
AdamP posted:
You'd be one of the first to complain about the waste of money if the BBC had helicopters equipped to broadcast live based in every corner of the UK.

I don't know how long you think it takes to get hold of a helicopter, get a cameraman on board, take the pics, get them back, and put them on air, but I don't think an hour and a half from the first reports is too bad.


Baffling to suggest that I would be complaining about it, when I have practically just advocated it, no?

I think getting pictures an hour and a half after the event is reported -- which is usually anything from half an hour to an hour after it started - is poor. It could be over by the time they get pictures from it.

I think the best move for news coverage that the BBC could make would be to have a series of helicopters across the country so they could get live pictures of events such as these as quickly as possible, not about two hours after they've happened.

I thought Sky might've made more of an effort with their helicopter for these sorts of things, but frankly that has been a pointless waste of money, as it is being used about once a month.
FU
fusionlad Founding member
BBC Spotlight with just the one headline tonight. Using the helicopter footage too.
LO
Londoner
ITV Evening News leading on the BA strike - flooding not even in the headlines...
PE
Pete Founding member
c@t posted:
Right, this is a source of continual annoyance for me.

Why is it that British TV networks are so unutterably dire at getting pictures out of locations across the UK, including central London. Rhetorical question, perhaps.

About half an hour ago or so the news networks starting reporting about floods in Cornwall, people trapped in cars, cars flying all over the road, village needing to be evacuated, massive search and rescue operations going on... enough for them to lend themselves to about 20 minutes of on-going coverage.

And yet none of them have any pictures. There are crappy little maps up, and in fairness to Sky and News 24 they have both had a fair few phone interviews - Sky probably more so than the others. But what use are they without pictures?

Were this the US, much though I hate local tv networks there, we would be seeing pictures and from helicopters and reports from local correspondents. Over here, the best we can manage is interviews with local publicans. So much so that both ITV and Sky (and News 24 probably when it get round to it) are appealing on air for people to email in photos.


Well there is no excuse for either the BBC nor ITV as they have massive regional networks to fall back on.
LO
Londoner
Tonight is yet another of those occasions when the ITV News Channel really should have abandoned the usual simulcast to do its own thing for half an hour.

After covering it as their main story for an hour and a half, there is suddenly no mention of the flood.
FU
fusionlad Founding member
Sky now showing viewer's pics.
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
James Hatts posted:
ITV Evening News leading on the BA strike - flooding not even in the headlines...


Frankly, that's pathetic. I gather the headlines are recorded, but surely they could have done an amended sequence to at least mention it.
LO
Londoner
ITV Evening News now covering it at 6.34 - live to a Westcountry reporter at a not-very-flooded campsite

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