KTVU's news van in Hayward was devoid of station logos but most Bay Area TV news vans have the stickers all over the vehicle.
2. Alter the live shots and try to be vague as to where you're reporting from.
A news veteran told me this morning: "They watch us, (the crooks) and see where we're reporting from because of the live shots. We're sitting ducks." This is almost a catch-22 --damned if you and damned if you don't. The fact that a few hooligans could cause stations to either do away with certain locations for live shots or limit them is rather unnerving.
3. Hire security guards. I know this hasn't always been dependable but even one security guy is better than none. And yes, I know it costs some money but it could also prevent or at least deter future problems.
4. Use a little common sense. I know the live shot at the gas station in Hayward was pre-determined because they wanted a place where a lot of lottery tickets were purchased but seriously, they couldn't have used any other place that sells lotto?
5. When doing live shots, anywhere--do so where there's people nearby--I know this is at times, impossible, but you'd be surprised how many live shots are done without the presence of people when a simple case of logic would have saved a lot of frayed nerves and other frightening things.
Yeah, an unmarked live truck would completely baffle the bad guys. They would have no idea it was a live truck full of valuable equipment. Except for the 40 foot mast. And the microwave dish. And the lights. And the photog with a camera on a tripod that's pointed at a reporter holding a mic.
ReplyDeletePaint "Al's Dry Cleaners" on the side and you're fine.
Delete"Bob's Textbook Delivery"
Delete"Flowers By Irene" (if anyone remembers that Simpsons episode).
Delete"Move Along. Not a TV live truck. No expensive stuff in here."
DeleteHow about not doing stupid, meaningless live shots?
Delete"Dan's Dirty Diaper Service"
Delete"Free A's vs. Astros tickets"
DeleteLOL at some of these. Everyone knows KTVU drives around in white vans. Plus like the others said... no confusing a broadcast van with an ice cream truck eh ? LOL. The Astros are getting good BTW. The A's will be in the thick of it... again. A's\Stros tix won't be a bad take this year.
DeleteHow about take your live shot, then move. How many times, especially the morning shows, is there a live shot at 6, same place at 6:40, 7:05, 8:00. And they don't report any further information than the first showing. Don't be a sitting duck.
ReplyDeleteJunkman9096 ... you have obviously never worked in a live truck.
DeleteWhat I was thinking exactly.
DeleteI've also never been robbed while standing still in a high crime area with a bunch of high dollar equipment around me. #changewayofthinking
DeleteI think the point is that a takes a LOT of work to take all that stuff down and then put it all back up again. It'd be easier to just have an armed guard, or an armed reporter. (:
DeleteJust get rid of the local news.
ReplyDeleteWe don't need the news, weather or traffic.
I have to solve all the problems in the Media.
Any other problems that need solving, just let me know.
Hey, hey, hey, what's all this reckless talk about security guards? All the anti American Sniper folks would feel disenfranchised.
ReplyDeleteWhat to keep the rascals away? Make the location look like a job fair.
"Nobody would have thought something like this would happen here."
ReplyDeleteBrian Williams could be a ride-along. They wouldn't mess with him with all his combat experience.
ReplyDeleteYeah, get rid of the logos on the trucks, that would help. Gee, we don't have logos on our live trick, so we can put this 10 FT TALL MAST UP!!!! That will stop us from getting robbed! And Rich, they do hire security guards. A guard still will not help. The silly hooligans and protestors were able to shut down entire freeways a few weeks ago. Guards aren't going to do much good.
ReplyDeleteAs with the majority of armed robberies in the Bay Area and elsewhere, these attacks are the work of black thugs and are seldom reported on the evening news. Given the willingness of the news media to conceal from the public the true color of crime (while it portrays the police and courts as racist), I consider news people to be hardly deserving of my concern or sympathy.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised you get such good Internet access in Northern Idaho.
DeleteYou're not concerned and yet here you are posting your racist opinions.
DeleteWhen are white folks and their leaders going to come out and condemn the terrorist attack on three innocent Muslim students in North Carolina? The culture of mass murder in the white community needs to be condemned!!!
DeleteFirst of all, were I in northern Idaho I the subject of street robbery would hardly be on my mind. Secondly, accurately quoting crime statistics makes one a racist only in the minds of those who have no respect for accuracy. And lastly, the notion that there exists a race or creed of people exempt from the blind rage of lunatics is itself lunacy. Absent evidence to the contrary, the Muslim religion of those victims was no more a relevant factor in their murder than was their youth, politics, or GPA's.
DeleteAll three of you give liberalism a bad name, and that name is moron.
White crime is always excused by "mental illness". They're usually the biggest deviants but when they get caught they hide behind the veil of lunacy. People of color are assumed to come out a "culture" of violence. The three young Muslim victims were targeted for their religion. The white, violent bigot's wife is blaming mental illness. Riiight...
Delete"Always" excused by mental illness....hypothesis red flag alert!
Delete@10:09 the "always" was inserted so that the knuckle dragging right wingers could understand. They only understand absolutes. Btw has anyone else heard right wingers celebrate Scott walker's lack of education? He guys right into the anti-intellectual ethos of the grand old party. Yeah baby!
Delete@2:39... so your stupid misrepresentation was made in the interests of making other stupid people understand your point? If you cannot comprehend the difference between predatory street robbers who operate in ways designed to facilitate escape and deranged mad men who commit crimes for which capture or fatal injury is a certainty, then might I suggest your illuminating exaggerations have severely damaged your brain.
DeleteIf ISIS was primarily made up of white guys like 5:55 he'd make all kinds of excuses for them. Oh my gosh they are mentally ill! Let's send medications for them. Poor guys!
DeleteAnother example. Did you forget the angry white guys who came out to "help" the rancher in Nevada pointing guns at police? Talk about nasty thugs leeching off society and not paying their fair share.
@7:16... you are clearly waging war against a foe that exists only in your head. I've excused no one, yet you are convinced that you can predict what I might do in whatever hypothetical scenario you dream up. If white was the color of street crime I wouldn't hesitate to admit it, and the evidence suggests that you'd likely scream it from the rooftops. But white isn't the color of street crime; black is, and so is brown, but you are either too demented, dishonest, or cowardly to to accept that as fact (or tolerate a better man who speaks the simple truth).
DeleteI have done a few thousand live shots , and the problem is that now the gear very easy to steal and easy to fence.
ReplyDeleteLittle cameras, laptops, iphones etc.
Street thugs rarely tried to steal our 30lb full size cameras with strange commercial batteries and professional tape formats . Hell I could chase theme down if they tried to run off with the heavy beast.
Try buying a brick battery and betacam 20min tape at Wallmart, or try pawning that thing in Richmond.
I have left or forgotten real expensive lights, tripods, microwave portables at locations good and bad. But I always found it hours later right where I left it because it was pretty much useless to others.
NEVER forgot a camera...that's worse than leaving a baby in a hot car.
Marked or Unmarked Live trucks?
I like my truck unmarked because out on the road when people see a rolling billboard, they do dangerous and stupid things around us.
Viewers wanna talk to you at stoplights, race us, throw things, flash us or moon the reporter(male and female) etc.
Unmarked trucks usually blend like utility trucks and mostly go unnoticed while driving to stories.
But...
You would be surprised how many clueless reporters hop into the wrong "white generic live truck" by mistake during the bigger regional and national stories.
One station I was with bought us nice new solid white SUV's with new top of the line cameras, scanners,2-way radios etc.
Then the sales weasels worked some trade to logo the trucks.
The photogs went ballistic!
We got the GM to compromise, and ONLY logo the front doors.
The next day the photogs purchased blank white magnetic automotive sign material for about $40 bucks....
And the moment we left the station lot, we covered up those stupid logos with our white "cover-ups".
My truck had a bunch of scanner ,phone and 2-way antennas on it.
Most folks never messed with us because they didn't really know who we where.
We perfected the "don't ask us who we are because we look super important in an official kinda way." People would hear the scanners turned up in the empty unit...and go the other way.
But that never stopped ham radio types from asking to see everything in the rig.
Pit-bull ride alongs.
ReplyDelete