Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do story

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I was recently flying my Phantom along Bayshore Blvd in downtown Tampa, when I was approached by one of the lead news anchors for one of the affiliate networks. He was very interested in the technology, having never seen or heard anything like it. I shared my video (taken with a Mobius on a gimbal) with him, and today, I received a call from one of their reporters.

I told them that, while I don't mind contributing my input on the story, I think I would be doing a tremendous disservice to the hobby, as my experience level is novice (at best). While I've owned a number of the small mini-quads for a few years, I've only had my Phantom (1.1.1) since Xmas.

I also brought up the fact that the hobby groups and industry are waiting on pins and needles to hear about TheBlackSheep's challenge to the FAA's first (and only ever) fine for flying a "drone". The anchor and reporter genuinely seem to want to put a very positive spin on this.

Is there anyone in the Tampa area with reasonable experience in the subject matter who wouldn't mind talking with these guys?

Post here, or send me a PM...

Thanks...
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

I'm in Sarasota but I'm in the same boat: had mine for only 2 weeks so I'm worse off than you. Maybe a group of us could go? I'd have no worries re: the FAA since I fly mine for hobby only.

Mike
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

If they can wait a week till I can fly down there, I'll be happy to do it :) I've been looking for an excuse to get back down to Tampa this season lol.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

I would not talk to any reporter they are the whole reasion their is so much heat on these things they do shady reporting cut it up to make things juicy then people watching get the wrong idea . Why are they not asking about helicopters or planes some can handle video and video being the key word or no one would care . I am about 50/50 with my flying both my birds are set up plug and play with my gopro I just like flying always have since the mid 90's . If you do a interview watch what you say and take the cam off and see if they still want to do the interview :?:
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

@750R - I can appreciate your reluctance - and it's partly why I'm requesting help. I don't want to do harm. At the same time, when the anchor approached me (he and his wife were jogging and were curious about what I was doing), it was a genuine interest in how the thing works. We spent 20 minutes just talking about the latest toys on Amazon and the FAA inquisition. I had the impression he was asking more to get one for himself than for the newsworthiness of it.

I'm sure, had I been flying a helicopter, or an airplane there, he would have stopped. It was just something out of the ordinary for the location. In fact, I was there again yesterday, and while I was setting up, another jogger stopped to talk. He asked if I was flying it during the Gasparilla invasion earlier in the month. Apparently he was part of the flotilla, and there was a Phantom circling their ship. He, too, had never seen one before, and assumed I had the only one...

When he asked me if I wanted to help him make a story on it, I told him I would, but that there are probably many more people better qualified to discuss the details than I was.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

What they, (the public), doesn't know won't hurt them. :?
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

I think everyone is looking at this the wrong way. A reporter who does a story about new technology that can make anyone an aerial photographer is not a bad thing. It is no different than when affordable digital camera came around. Reports were talking about how everyone could own a high definition camera and take great photos while on vacations. The more people who see the phantom in the aspect of a photography tool will embrace it. Right now people fear it because they don't know what it is. They think FBI and the government and all sorts of things like that. If they realized it was just a toy, they would go out and get their kids one. And you could say that if everyone got one, we would see a lot of crashes and accidents and then bad press and potential bans. Not true. Remember Estes rockets? They got big and not just in demand but in size. Some of these things would end up in roads and yards and all over the place and no one banned them. Heck they are sold at Hobby Lobby now.

Go do an interview. Show them that you are new and despite that you can still fly well thanks to the GPS. Obviously don't go saying "I bought this to peep in my neighbors windows at night"
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Your comparing a video recording multi rotor RC to a model rocket? Model rockets are typically flown in large fields, they go up, they come down. A multi rotor copter can fly most anywhere like over backyard pools, over crowded events, at altitudes that can threaten full size aircraft and they record video footage of whatever they fly over. Apple to oranges my friend.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

I would be very careful talking to them about our sport. You may have the best intentions to represent the sport, but you do not have control of their video editing producer. They have a narrative of a story and can edit anything they want to fit their narrative/storyline.

If you have seen any of the national TV shows that do stories about drones you will see what I am talking about. There is a lot of good that these things can do, but have you seen any? I've only seen this in a negative light, outside of what Amazon was trying to do.



edit: adding links
http://www.insideedition.com/investigat ... of-control
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

SRT said:
If you have seen any of the national TV shows that do stories about drones you will see what I am talking about. There is a lot of good that these things can do, but have you seen any? I've only seen this in a negative light, outside of what Amazon was trying to do.

It could happen viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7423
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Out of all the negative documentaries\expose out there, I'm sure not one of them was approached with a 'Pssst, hey we're gonna do a negative story on you. Are you in?'.

That is not to say that the reporter did not start with a positive attitude toward the subject (or perhaps he was just personally curious on the issue). But the spin will depend on what they find and what footage they have on hand when it's all said and done...
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Pretend you're a U.S. Navy Seal...or an SAS Operator.
"Hey, can you tell me what those two lasers are attached to your assault rifle?"


Move along....nothing to see here :)
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

You guys make it seem like we've found the lost city of Atlantis and want it all for ourselves. The word drone is associated with Obama dropping bombs on kids. Use the word quadcopter or even helicopter. The average person doesn't get that quad is 4 and the word quadcopter is new to him but "remote control helicopter" is not new. They sell little toy versions at walmart, this is a slightly larger toy version. People don't realize that you can put a gopro on a 25 foot pole and peek into windows, you don't need a phantom to violate their privacy. Its the word drone that people are scared of. Just don't use that word. If a news station wants to put a negative spin on it, let them. Its their right to do so. Either way, the more people who buy phantoms and the bigger this "sport" (which has been stated before is in no way a sport but a hobby similar to playing with legos) gets, the harder it will be to ban it or set rules against it. When wave runners first came out there were a lot of people trying to ban them (this is fact, I had one of the first) and next thing you knew, everyone had a wave runner and no one was banning anything. Its simple math, if you want more power in the voting booth, get more people to vote for you.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Is the Florida education system so bad the average person doesn't know what the word 'quad' means? If so I feel bad for Floridians. And PWC have been banned in some places, and the industry changed to avoid further issues (avoiding 2 stroke engines). Change will indeed come to our hobby due to the publics opinion on these tiny aircraft. While I agree that some regulation is needed to keep the fools in line I hope they don't go overboard on restrictions that ruin the hobby.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Ksc said:
You guys make it seem like we've found the lost city of Atlantis and want it all for ourselves. The word drone is associated with Obama dropping bombs on kids. Use the word quadcopter or even helicopter. The average person doesn't get that quad is 4 and the word quadcopter is new to him but "remote control helicopter" is not new. They sell little toy versions at walmart, this is a slightly larger toy version. People don't realize that you can put a gopro on a 25 foot pole and peek into windows, you don't need a phantom to violate their privacy. Its the word drone that people are scared of. Just don't use that word. If a news station wants to put a negative spin on it, let them. Its their right to do so. Either way, the more people who buy phantoms and the bigger this "sport" (which has been stated before is in no way a sport but a hobby similar to playing with legos) gets, the harder it will be to ban it or set rules against it. When wave runners first came out there were a lot of people trying to ban them (this is fact, I had one of the first) and next thing you knew, everyone had a wave runner and no one was banning anything. Its simple math, if you want more power in the voting booth, get more people to vote for you.

I agree 100 percent. I brought up the same point in another post and it seemed like a handful of owners of phantoms don't understand the negative connotation of the word drone. I for one will never call my phantom a drone unless the day comes the military allows us the accuracy they have with GPS and the FAA lifts the 400ft alt ban. It's the difference of calling a four wheeled rubberband powered box a car vs a corvette.

And you know what? If every time I took one of my quads as carry on, and told the tsa it was a drone instead of quadcopter or four prop helicopter, guess who would of been having a hard time?
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

thongbong said:
If every time I took one of my quads as carry on, and told the tsa it was a drone instead of quadcopter or four prop helicopter, guess who would of been having a hard time?

I just call mine a flying photography platform, and the TSA always loves it... After a good swab down :)
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

Well, I appreciate all the opinions on why or why not to help the media, and aside from the first two replies, I guess no one in the Tampa area has any interest in promoting the Phantom.

Here's the simple truth - the station is going to do a story on it - I have no doubt about this. They've already mobilized their resources to 'investigate' the FAA case, and the technology of multi-rotor aircraft. When the story airs, and it's completely one-sided, providing no input from actual users of the Phantom, I'm sure there will be a lot of us complaining about how they never show the whole picture. This is our opportunity. It might never leave the editing room floor. But, at least the the possibility of seeing a regular Joe using the Phantom in a non-invasive manner was presented to them.

If they call back, I'll do it. I just didn't want to speak for a community that has WAY more collective experience with multi-rotor aircraft than I do.
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

two guys were peeing off a bridge. One said "man this water is cold". The other said "yeah its deep too"
 
Re: Local news (Tampa) looking for contacts...wants to do st

LuvMyTJ said:
Is the Florida education system so bad the average person doesn't know what the word 'quad' means?

yes

LuvMyTJ said:
If so I feel bad for Floridians.

don't. I wear shorts and sandals all day while the rest of the country is dealing with snow and ice.
 

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