Look! Up in the sky! It’s another sign of the economic downturn and its effects on local TV broadcasters.
KMGH-Channel 7 and KUSA-Channel 9 today confirmed the plan to share a helicopter, (reported in Jan. 2’s column).
“9News and 7News will share one helicopter and videographers in a shared arrangement, while continuing to maintain strict separation of each station’s editorial decisions and reporter assignments,” the stations said in a release.
The deal is akin to sharing pool coverage of a political event. Managers of both stations stressed the newsrooms remain strictly independent.
The stations have to right to paint their logos on the chopper, whose pilot is not affiliated with either station.
Most often a camera will be aboard without reporters. The stations would work out the matter of dispatching reporters aloft on a case by case basis.
According to sources at both stations, this sort of budget-cutting collaboration is under consideration in many TV markets and may become widespread as the belt-tightening continues.
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
