Miami is, or used to be anyway, a hyper competitive market so we have yet to see our stations create a news sharing pool. But Newsblues.com says Orlando stations started a news sharing pool on Tuesday. Much like other markets the stations will use one team to cover non-exclusive stories such as press conferences instead of each sending their own crew.
Participating are Post-Newsweek owned WKMG, sister station to WPLG in Miami, WOFL-FOX35 and Central Florida News 13. Top rated WFTV and second place WESH are not participating.
In other news, the news sharing agreement between WGCL, WAGA and WXIA in Atlanta fell apart somewhat last week when WGCL pouted and parted ways. According to LiveApartmentFire WGCL news director Steve Schwaid, described as “a driven guy”, pulled his station out of the news sharing pool “after a series of questionable LNS assignments”.
Apparently the pool crew was sent to cover press conferences WGCL didn’t want to use and it was slow to respond to breaking news because, as LAF puts it, “… probably because the TV stations are playing chicken with one another to see who knows about what breaking news, and how soon”.
Will there be a “local news sharing” pool in Miami or Palm Beach? We heard some rumbles that there’s something in the works between at least WFOR and WTVJ but it’s all hearsay at this point. WTVJ already has no chopper, and WFOR is losing theirs at the end of the year when their contract with Helicopters Inc. expires maybe they’ll play with WPLG?
/hat tip meebo tipster/
I guess WESHs days of trying to be WTVJ are over.
I would take it that many other TV markets are viewing the FOX O&O and NBC O&O model (Local News Service) as “very inspired”… the content sharing pool being designed to help the stations in saving money, and freeing up resources to chase down enterprise stories.
I could picture the Miami market getting a content sharing pool… Post-Newsweek (WPLG), CBS (WFOR), and NBC (WTVJ and WSCV) participating in the content pooling service. I really wouldn’t expect Sunbeam (WSVN) and Univision (WLTV and WAMI) to be interested in participating in the news pool.
It already happens in Miami…and has for years. How do you think all those trials and hearings in county courtrooms are covered? Each station sends a photographer to the courthouse and the photogs get together and pool resources. It’s very rare that an exclusive story comes from court because of this…this would be very bad for viewers if it became the norm for everyday news.
West Palm stations will most likely NOT adopt a “Local News Service”. There are not enough daily news conferences in town to warrant a pool. They do conduct a pool in the courthouses, depending if everybody shows. Also, WPBF has never had a full-time, live helicopter. If a chopper sharing agreement would be enacted between all three station in town, WPBF would clearly benefit from that.