Channels 2, 5, 9, 32 To Share Camera Crews

[HuskyCaucasian]

Four local TV stations to share camera crews

 

Beginning Monday, the news departments at four of Chicago's five largest TV stations will share resources in a daring experiment.

 

NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5, Fox-owned WFLD-Channel 32, CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2 and Tribune Broadcasting-owned WGN-Channel 9 will pool two camera crews from each participating station. The crews will be directed by an assignment editor and a managing editor. A source said a staff person from WMAQ's newsroom will become managing editor of the new joint venture, but a New York-based spokeswoman for WMAQ said the participating stations weren't ready to reveal that person yet.

 

"We will make that announcement soon," she added. The venture will be housed in WBBM's office space in the Loop, but on a different floor from that station's newsroom.

 

The venture's managing editor will decide each day what news events the pool crews cover. Unedited footage shot by the pool crews will be fed daily to each of the stations to use as they wish in their respective news shows.

 

Sources admit the four Chicago stations agreed to participate in this unusual news venture -- spearheaded by WMAQ and WFLD -- because they all are desperately trying to cut costs as ad revenues plunge.

 

But market news leader ABC-owned WLS-Channel 7 has opted out of the joint venture. Though she was approached about participating, WLS honcho Emily Barr said she chose not to, because she believes it is important -- cost notwithstanding -- for WLS to remain an independent television news voice and to remain flexible enough to cover news events as the station wishes.

 

I know on a national level thee is an arrangement for "pool' reports that rotate between ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. I find it interesting to try on a local level.

[Balta1701]

Makes sense, why do you need 6 cameras at a press conference by a police detective?

[Steve9347]

Very interesting... could effect some jobs.

[shipps]

What if they are trying to interview someone that is leaving a court house and each reporter from their respective channel is trying to get in the shot with interview ?

[CanOfCorn]

What if they are trying to interview someone that is leaving a court house and each reporter from their respective channel is trying to get in the shot with interview ?

 

There's two ways this could be. If it's a big enough story where you want one of your reporters on the scene, I bet the stations will have one of their own crew on standby for things like that. OR, the producer assigned to the crew will do the interview and a reporter will be in studio using the pooled footage.

 

 

[Texsox]

I'm guessing this is for the routine stuff. They are each tossing in 2, but we do not know how many they are keeping above that. It could be another 6 or 10.

 

The "pool" that some may be thinking is where an event cannot fit dozens. One reporter will pool for the rest. That is more directed by the newsmaker (press conference) than the groups cooperating.