Oregon Media Insiders

Art Vandalay raises an important question - one which the Portland media has no answer for.

In my opinion and the way I see it, local news networks clamor over big news only if it's local. They're quick to assemble and pack a punch in coverage (i.e. Gearhart). However, the farther away the news is, say for example, California, the less powerful the reporting is because they don't quite know the details, and they can't necessarily pack up a mobile news station to truck out there. It seems news organizations wait for affiliates to cover the story first and do THEIR in depth coverage. Seems logical, but the process of relaying information is a bit slow. To me it seems like a great improvement goal for an organization. They should focus on the streaming forces of affiliates to provide syndicated coverage of a story, rather than pre-recorded medias and post-event excitement. Just my POV.

i was never a tv newspro and i am temporarily tv-less, but I thought at least KOIN and maybe someone else local were cnn affiliated, and maybe every station in the country is.at least it seems that way. so I can see a pdx news director expecting to get a routine feed of aerial and maybe ground video on a crash that big.
however, not seninding anyone to the hometowns shows how much they care about folks down south. glad the O did this time, but even they are not consistent in their coverage of southern oregon. wonder if there is anyone on here who saw seattle and calif. coverage.

Portland's News Stations go to every crash that doesn't involve people affected in the Portland viewing area? It just isn't feasable when you get the feeds. Most TV stations have multiple feeds, either with CNN, NNS, and coupled with their own affiliates feeds it should be enough to cover it from here in Portland. As sad as it is, you don't need to send a crew to every story outside the Portland DMA.

Speaking of facts....the crash was Tuesday. Big news Wednesday. Art posts Thursday. KGW moves Friday.

So....why did all the Portland stations jump on the Kim tragedy, if PDX only cares about immediate PDX coverage?

The Kim story resonates with more people because it has the "it can happen to anyone" factor. No one expects to die on a family road trip for Thanksgiving. (the "last seen in Portland" comment is a stretch, and actually they were last seen in Roseburg.)

But the firefighters are in a dangerous job, so what happened to them is not as "shocking" I suppose. But I do think that Portland TV glazed this one over, though The Oregonian has been all over it. 8 dead Oregonians should be Portland news imo. Those boys all have family, and girlfriends, and new brides, and college plans, and family fishing trips planned. It's a tragedy that is affecting hundreds of people "down south", and throughout the state.

San Francisco stations, ABC, CNN networks all sent crews.

Next thing you know, Sen. Barbara Boxer will be calling for a ban on helicopters!! Or perhaps forest fires.