More and more video-equipped drones are being used for commercial and amateur use, and now a Jacksonville television news operation will begin using drones to gather footage for broadcasts.
Action News – WJAX TV-47 and WFOX TV-30 – has received Federal Aviation Administration approval to use an unmanned aviation system to provide aerial views of news scenes. It’s the first Jacksonville broadcast news operation to acquire FAA approval to use drones to capture video.
Branded “Skyvision” by Action News, the flying video camera is already being tested for gathering images with a news department employee licensed to operate it.
“The drone program is exciting and we’re happy to be making good progress,” said Bob Longo, news director of Action News, which is owned by Cox Media Group.
“CMG [Cox Media Group] was out in front in the industry with the FAA’s approval. Because of this, our company considers the drone program to be a competitive advantage in our markets and has decided not to discuss the process publicly,” Longo said in an email sent to the Times-Union.
But there is some discussion on the Action News website. The station not only details the enhancement to video angles, but also outlines the safety issues and regulatory guidelines for commercial drone use.
There are multiple stipulations for commercial operators of unmanned aerial vehicles: They cannot fly within 5 nautical miles of an airport; they cannot exceed 100 mph; they cannot exceed altitudes of 400 feet (most FAA license exemptions are granted for under 200 feet, which is the case for Action News); the unmanned aerial vehicle must remain within a visual line of sight; and a plethora of other regulations.
Brent Klavon is president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International for the Florida Peninsula chapter and said the Action News drone use is a fascinating development. Klavon’s Jacksonville company, Aviation Systems Engineering Co., secured the first FAA exemption for commercial drone use in North Florida this year.
Most commercial drone use occurs in industrial settings such as agricultural monitoring and research projects. So Klavon said the use of drones in a high-profile industry such as television news is critical for bringing more attention to the benefits of drones and, in turn, for helping the industry grow.
“The media will be held to the same standards that I’m held to as a commercial drone service provider,” Klavon said. “I like that the capability is going to be introduced in a big way [in media use] and hopefully that’s recognized by others in seeing the potential good.”
COVERING CRIME
Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said his agency is still assessing the potential impact of the media’s use of drones in coverage of emergencies and reporting from crime scenes. He said the only significant concern might be related to secure crime scenes.
“The technology is out there; we just need to figure out how to work with it,” Williams said. “When it comes to the integrity of a crime scene, a lot of times there are things that only us and the bad guy know about a crime scene because no one [else] has seen it. …
“That could be important if you have the ability to fly over it and look at it,” Williams said.
On the other hand, Williams said when it comes to disasters or emergency events, media drones might actually be able to help first responders at the scene.
“All that could be helpful. I could anticipate a time where we reach out to Action News and say, ‘Hey, we need your help, we’d like to use your drone.’ Especially when it comes to traffic during a natural disaster or a train derailment,” Williams said.
Still, the FAA has already indicated regulations regarding commercial drone use are still evolving.
Bob Ellis, general manager of WJXT TV-4, a competitor with Action News, said his independent Jacksonville news operation is still sizing up when to get into drone use.
“We have discussed it at length and believe there is a time and place for aerial coverage of news. You’ll likely see us use it in the future, but only if it helps tell the story,” Ellis said. “That’s part of our process on every story we cover. You’ll see us use it when appropriate and within the rules that have been established.”
Drone use by news organizations is also going to be more economical, Klavon said.
No First Coast local television news stations have a helicopter that they employ regularly. Klavon said the advent of drones, which normally cost under $5,000, will eventually lead to helicopters becoming obsolete.
“Before, you were limited by having a manned pilot flying a manned aircraft and that’s very expensive, very time consuming,” Klavon said. “Now, it [drone use] provides a whole new perspective.”
The Radio Television Digital News Association based in Washington, D.C., has taken an advocacy position. Mike Cavender, RTDNA executive director, said the association has encouraged the use of the devices by its 1,300 members in North America.
Given that drones are developing technology, Cavender said RTDNA members have been heavily involved in discussions about proper drone use.
This summer, there were complaints from firefighters battling forest fires in Western states that amateur drone hobbyists interfered with emergency responses. Those drone pilots were not associated with news organizations.
Cavender said RTDNA is committed to using drones in a manner that does not interfere with emergency operations involving first responders.
“We don’t want irresponsible behavior of a few individuals … to obscure the larger picture and the larger issue of creating responsible regulations that our industry can abide by to utilize drones for news gathering,” Cavender said.
“The size of this technology, the clarity of the pictures that it produces, the ability to send back those pictures live, all of those issues make gathering news by drones extremely important as a technology for those of us in the business,” Cavender said.
Times-Union Editor Frank Denton said the newspaper is holding off for the time being on committing to drone use.
“It’s more complicated than just putting a drone up,” Denton said, noting the complexity of regulations governing drone use could change drastically.
“At least at this time, we’re not actively considering it. We may consider it in the future,” Denton said.
There’s yet another challenge specifically for Florida drone use, Klavon said, and that is a statute approved by the Legislature this year.
The state law stipulates private individuals on private property cannot have their images captured by a drone and doing so would be a “violation of such person’s reasonable expectation of privacy without his or her written consent.”
Klavon said the Florida law presents a serious obstacle for news gathering.
“There’s no provision for a news media organization of any flavor to go out and collect somebody’s information without first obtaining prior consent,” Klavon said. “News media will be subject to litigation if they film or take a still photograph of anybody that has any expectation of privacy. …
“So if you elevate over a fence or if you elevate high enough to see over a neighborhood or a traffic incident, all those people that were captured by the news media gathering organization [using drones] is exposed,” Klavon said.
In addition, there are strict guidelines about keeping drones a certain distance from people.
“Anybody that is collecting news media has to remain 500 feet away from people. That’s a challenge and I don’t know how media is going to do that and collect as much information as they would like to,” Klavon said.
Given those points, Ellis said TV-4 is still measuring when the right time might be for that station to begin drone use.
“Aerial coverage has its place to be sure, but as of now, there are many restrictions in place for when, where, and how you can use drones …” Ellis said.
“If you can plan an event where there’s no one around and it helps tell the story, it’s a great tool. It provides a perspective that’s tough to get any other way,” Ellis said.
Drew Dixon: (904) 359-4098
