What Happened to News Station Helicopter Visits?

[Frozen Tundra]

It hit me the other day that I haven’t seen a news station fly a helicopter in for a high school football game in maybe a decade. I remember going to Columbus East games as a student and also in the subsequent 5-7 years where Dave Calabro from WTHR 13 or Anthony Calhoun from WISH-TV 8 would fly in on a helicopter with a cameraman or two, fire up the student section, throw out some t-shirts, and record some game footage for their Friday night football segments on the news. Seemed like it happened all the time back then and sometimes they’d both be there at the same time. There was an excitement knowing they were coming and then when you heard/saw them coming. The chopper would circle overhead and then land on the baseball field or on some open land near the football field. I know the Louisville stations would sometimes cross the Ohio River and do this as well at big games on the Indiana side of their coverage area.

Did the news stations stop doing this completely or did they decrease the number of visits drastically?

[PHJIrish]

Every fan has a camera now.  Most games are recorded and emailed to the TV stations.  No need for the helicopter expenses.  Most schools live stream their games, and that could be one reason why attendance is down at some schools.  It's easy for some to just sit at home and watch their team, or teams.  Me, I like the smell of the popcorn.

[Coach Nowlin]

great memory in 2005 of not 1 but 2 different Indy stations landing in Sheridan when we came to see young freshman named Nick Zachary vs Senior Jake Kiger., a 35-32 Blackhawk victory.   What a night that was.  So many people. SO electric of an atmosphere 

Fun times 

[Frozen Tundra]

24 minutes ago, Coach Nowlin said:

great memory in 2005 of not 1 but 2 different Indy stations landing in Sheridan when we came to see young freshman named Nick Zachary vs Senior Jake Kiger., a 35-32 Blackhawk victory.   What a night that was.  So many people. SO electric of an atmosphere 

Fun times 

Yeah I feel those visits really amped up the atmosphere at games. I miss it.

28 minutes ago, PHJIrish said:

Every fan has a camera now.  Most games are recorded and emailed to the TV stations.  No need for the helicopter expenses.  Most schools live stream their games, and that could be one reason why attendance is down at some schools.  It's easy for some to just sit at home and watch their team, or teams.  Me, I like the smell of the popcorn.

Dang. Didn’t even think about that. You’re right. I miss the visits though. Made the atmosphere even better.

[crimsonace1]

TV news stations are hurting for cash. They've had to cut way back on both personnel and operations, and a chopper is really expensive to operate. 

[MarshallCounty]

Chopper Charlie at WSBT (Charlie Adams) and Chuck Freeby at WNDU in the 90's was a big deal.  Cost of fuel and other increases made not worth it. South Bend use to have great Friday night coverage, its still does the job but no where like it use to. WSTB and WNDU had the bigger budget, but know one out hustled FOX 28 and Dean Huppert, they had camera guys going in every direction of Michiana and dedicated a full half hour of Friday night coverage. It was much watch TV back in the day.

[Lucy Draper]

I have several close confidential sources in the sports news industry here in Indiana, and they have all given me the inside scoop on why helicopters are no longer visiting high school football games. 

With the emergence of schools using drones to film their football games, it is now too dangerous for the helicopters to navigate and attempt to land at said schools. There were several close calls between drones used for filming and helicopters, leading to an agreement between television stations across the state to ground their choppers until teams revert back to the much safer and higher quality of filming with endzone cameras. 

Legislation to ban the use of drones to film high school sports in Indiana is currently being crafted by concerned politicians, the news helicopter pilots' union, and representatives from the big endzone camera lobby. I would expect to see top of the line endzone cameras, such as the HI-POD X31, making a return to endzones near you in dramatic fashion.

[tango]

Heck, we are lucky just to have 2 newspaper reporters who cover local HS sports for the Courier. Both do a great job, but man they are spread thin...

[PHJIrish]

10 hours ago, Frozen Tundra said:

Yeah I feel those visits really amped up the atmosphere at games. I miss it.

Dang. Didn’t even think about that. You’re right. I miss the visits though. Made the atmosphere even better.

It was always fun to have the chopper swoop in during a game!  

[Lucy Draper]

Join the movement to ban drones and Make Friday Night News Channel Helicopter Visits Great Again!!

When the drones are grounded, the choppers will rise!! 

**This message is paid for by the committee to bring back news helicopter football game visits

[1st_and_10]

3 minutes ago, Lucy Draper said:

Join the movement to ban drones and Make Friday Night News Channel Helicopter Visits Great Again!!

When the drones are grounded, the choppers will rise!! 

**This message is paid for by the committee to bring back news helicopter football game visits

Drones are banned at IHSAA Tournament events... Robert Faulkens will say it right to your face!

[Coach Nowlin]

And sent an email out to IFCA this morning on this very topic:  Drones

HOWEVER.........  I find it hard to believe that News Choppers had issues with 600ft or lower flying drones in an EZ of a HS football game.    Call me crazy on that one 

[Lucy Draper]

Just now, Coach Nowlin said:

And sent an email out to IFCA this morning on this very topic:  Drones

HOWEVER.........  I find it hard to believe that News Choppers had issues with 600ft or lower flying drones in an EZ of a HS football game.    Call me crazy on that one 

Coach, 

Thank you for your timely support on the crucial safety issue!!

MFNNCHVGA!!

6 minutes ago, 1st_and_10 said:

Drones are banned at IHSAA Tournament events... Robert Faulkens will say it right to your face!

As they should be!! We must think of the children!!

MFNNCHVGA!!

[Donnie Baker]

Calabros got tired of messing up his hair 

[gonzoron]

Most of the Indy TV stations had stopped using helicopters for any purpose before 2017. WRTV Channel 6 was still using one at that point, but I can't find any information that they still do.

https://www.ibj.com/articles/63395-local-tv-news-stations-abandon-or-reduce-use-of-pricey-choppers

[First_Backer_Inside]

3 hours ago, Lucy Draper said:

Join the movement to ban drones and Make Friday Night News Channel Helicopter Visits Great Again!!

When the drones are grounded, the choppers will rise!! 

**This message is paid for by the committee to bring back news helicopter football game visits

 

2 hours ago, Lucy Draper said:

Coach, 

Thank you for your timely support on the crucial safety issue!!

MFNNCHVGA!!

As they should be!! We must think of the children!!

MFNNCHVGA!!

This woman has to be related to Muda. Swear to God she does

[Lucy Draper]

1 hour ago, First_Backer_Inside said:

 

This woman has to be related to Muda. Swear to God she does

Thank you for your support

MFNNCHVGA

[WestfieldRocks]

3 hours ago, gonzoron said:

Most of the Indy TV stations had stopped using helicopters for any purpose before 2017. WRTV Channel 6 was still using one at that point, but I can't find any information that they still do.

https://www.ibj.com/articles/63395-local-tv-news-stations-abandon-or-reduce-use-of-pricey-choppers

THIS! Nothing to do with drones, cell phone cameras, and whatever else. I have a good friend who's ex was the chopper pilot for many years for a local Indy TV station. They covered not only high school football, but would go up when there was a bad traffic backup, accidents, etc. for live reports. Radio station WIBC was known for their helicopter news and traffic reports with Big John Gillis. It actually crashed on the Speedwayi High School football field one day while covering traffic. Paul Page, who at that time was the Voice Of The Indyi 500, was also on that flight and suffered injuries.

I have a good friend who's ex was the chopper pilot for many years for a local Indy TV station. She told me he lost his job when the station sold the chopper. Both Channels 8 and 13 flew to several different high schools on a Friday evening. Dave Calabro at 13 and Anthony Calhoun at 8. However, they are still out there on Friday nights during high school football season, just now using SUVs, meaning they can't cover as many games on any given night.

[FastpacedO]

5 minutes ago, WestfieldRocks said:

THIS! Nothing to do with drones, cell phone cameras, and whatever else. I have a good friend who's ex was the chopper pilot for many years for a local Indy TV station. They covered not only high school football, but would go up when there was a bad traffic backup, accidents, etc. for live reports. Radio station WIBC was known for their helicopter news and traffic reports with Big John Gillis. It actually crashed on the Speedwayi High School football field one day while covering traffic. Paul Page, who at that time was the Voice Of The Indyi 500, was also on that flight and suffered injuries.

I have a good friend who's ex was the chopper pilot for many years for a local Indy TV station. She told me he lost his job when the station sold the chopper. Both Channels 8 and 13 flew to several different high schools on a Friday evening. Dave Calabro at 13 and Anthony Calhoun at 8. However, they are still out there on Friday nights during high school football season, just now using SUVs, meaning they can't cover as many games on any given night.

Grocery bills getting too high with inflation😂😂. Figured they would whip out the chopper for Colabro's last Hoorah!

Edited October 22, 2024 by FastpacedO