The Day After: Take 2
The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Scott Leith (via Cox News Service)…
“The difficulty’s only beginning,” said John Stack, vice president of newsgathering for Fox. On Tuesday, he predicted coverage could get tougher in the muggy coastal region, where power is out, communication is difficult and food and water can be hard to find.
When the hurricane hit, the big task was just covering the basics. As the hurricane roared, CNN often featured images sent via “video phone,” an easily transportable device that links to a satellite. While far from perfect, the murky pictures gave CNN something to show it otherwise couldn’t have obtained.
“Our million-dollar satellite trucks are so vulnerable in a storm like this,” said Jack Womack, senior vice president of operations and administration for CNN U.S.
At Fox, much of the coverage featured frenetic correspondent Steve Harrigan, whose satellite crew staked out a spot in Gulfport. Unlike Cantore, Harrigan was farther away and better protected from the elements. Stack credited an experienced crew with choosing a good location to ride out the storm and stay on air.
“Luck is good,” he said, “but experience and luck is even better.”
Intersting…the writer could only bring up CNN’s images via videophones when writing about their coverage. That is commonly used technology and has been used non-stop by all cable networks since 2001. CNN even used it before 2001. I guess there wasn’t much more to say about CNN’s coverage.
Comment by FlaGuy — August 31, 2005 @ 10:42 am