NY Area ENG Operations?

[Gerard]

In recent weeks a number of TV channels have combined ENG helicopter operations to save money. Channel 4 and 5 are partners and it was just announced that Channels 2 and 11 will partner up.
In a thread today poster "NJGTR82", Bill, went up in a copter and took fantastic pictures of the area. One of those pictures was of
Chopper 4. Now my question is do the partnering stations keep their aircraft and take turns flying them? Like if SkyFox 5 went up and Channel 4 used aerial footage from them they would say it was from Chopper 4? And vice versa? If they were saving money wouldnt they just keep one copter and share?
Also, out here I see Cablevision is still using the red Astar as Chopper 12. Is this a replacement for N12NN or is it in the shop?
Thanks all.

[PhantomII]

Also, out here I see Cablevision is still using the red Astar as Chopper 12. Is this a replacement for N12NN or is it in the shop?

Word around the air patch is they are getting a new Astar, the red bird is a temporary fill in until the new one arrives.

[njgtr82]

I'll confirm this but I believe chp 4 is now a backup(it was flying for 5 that paticular day which was receiving some maintanence) and 11 (N27M) will stop flying this Friday. Its gonna be sold I believe. They only flew in the AM so it makes alot of sense to share with someone else for them I think. They're all owned by a seperate company, Helicopters Incorporated.

[hiss srq]

News 12's red chopper is indeed just a filler bird at the moment. I find it imteresting that competing news agencies will now combine choppers.

[emshighway]

The news channels (except for 7) have formed a consortium called I believed LNR where each station has responsibility for a certain time period during the day where their crews handle the news events and the tape is pooled to the others. The crews are responding at all hours of the day and night (which is killing the freelance people) to anything and everything.

I know WPIX has 3PM to Midnight. They have separate assignment editors and it is suppose to be run as a separate pool group. WABC is contesting this group stating it causes a monopoly.

[Matt Molnar]

WABC is contesting this group stating it causes a monopoly.

Really? They should be happy that they're the only ones who can say they have their own chopper.

Soon, I'd imagine the radio traffic choppers will be phased out since there are now cameras and traffic monitors all over the place.

[Gerard]

>Soon, I'd imagine the radio traffic choppers will be phased out since there are now cameras and traffic monitors all over the place.[/quote]<

Isnt the WCBS 880 the only radio chopper? Chopper 880 with Tom Kaminski. He's been doing that since 1988!!!! And before that
it was Neil Busch for 35 years!!!!!!
I remember when they used to fly out of the East 60 Street Heliport using a number of Bell 47s
.
http://www.helispot.com/photo/0003320
http://www.helispot.com/photo/0003305

Thanks for all the feedback.

[Gerard]

Also, out here I see Cablevision is still using the red Astar as Chopper 12. Is this a replacement for N12NN or is it in the shop?

Word around the air patch is they are getting a new Astar, the red bird is a temporary fill in until the new one arrives.

N12KZ a 2008 Astar 350B2 was parked outside the Cablevision hangar late morning (along with their 3 S-76s and the fill-in AStar).