WISN-TV (Channel 12) takes to the sky, WITI-TV (Channel 6) gets all gadgety-wit-it, and the return of prodigal creator of “Community” fill today’s Milwaukee media notebook.
— One of WISN-TV’s latest promotional videos takes to the sky to provide panoramic views of the city. Images include soaring through the wings of the Santiago Calatrava addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum on the lakefront and diving along the Milwaukee River downtown.
Having seen all manner of effects in films, the promo washed over me with little effect.
But one reader asked me: Did they get those images using a drone and was it legal?
The answers are Yes and Probably.
According to an email response provided by the station from the station’s creative services director Lauren Ridgley the station did not shoot the drone footage but “did purchase and hire some footage to be shot with a drone from a local photographer. We did have conversations with our attorneys, who informed us that the liability of the drone usage was on the photographer and his company.”
Jan Wade, WISN-TV president and general manager wrote that the spots were created in-house.
“Lauren’s team used the drone aerials, and put those purchased shots with video that Lauren’s team shot around town and with our talent.” Because the photographer has left the area the station did not want to provide his name. One local agency that uses camera drones said they do so “on a limited basis” and when they do, “it’s on our client’s property and with their permission.”
Drones, or unmanned aircraft systems, have been in the news lately. French authorities were concerned when a drone was spotted flying over Paris landmarks and a drone recently crashed on the lawn of the White House. Because of their low-cost compared to that of maintaining a helicopter and pilot, drones are expected to become popular at TV stations to capture aerial images for newscasts.
But because “the U.S. has the busiest, most complex airspace in the world” drone regulation by the Federal Aviation Administration is evolving incrementally, according to the FAA website.
The FAA does grant non-governmental permits for commercial purposes “in low-risk, controlled environments.” Watch the WISN promo below and see if you can spot the drone shots.
— WITI parent company Tribune Broadcasting will be providing content to a news aggregation app for mobile devices called Watchup.
According to reports 30 Tribune stations including WITI will deliver online video reports to the service which allows users to design a personalized news stream using content provided by the stations.
that uses GPS to identify a users location to connect them with relevant content. Users can also search for content.
In the video below the Watchup founder Adriano Farano says he was inspired to found the company in 2010 after the release of the iPad. “As soon as you download the app you can choose your favorite areas of interest,” Farano says on the video. The app, he says “lets you decide what’s good for you, what’s good for the country. Tribune invested $2.15 million in Watchup in the fall of 2014.
–Today is not just St. Patrick’s Day. It also marks the sixth season return of “Community” on Two episodes are currently posted and new episodes will be posted on Tuesdays.
The series was created by Dan Harmon, a Milwaukee native, Brown Deer High School graduate, Marquette University dropout and ComedySportz alumnus. Watch a trailer for the new season below.
The series about a dysfunctional group of friends at Greendale Community College co-stars Marquette alum Danny Pudi. It premiered in 2009 and its formula bending ways brought it a devoted audience.
In its fourth season Harmon was let go amid low ratings and after a public feud with then co-star Chevy Chase. He returned for the fifth season, after which it was cancelled by NBC. Its search for a home led it to online content provider Yahoo Screen. The new season features several new characters.
Tags: Community, Dan Harmon, WISN-TV, WITI-TV Posted by