(Jim West resumes his story of broadcast from D.C. - Editor)

For the news that night, Deanna and I were live on the set in Washington  introducing our stories and answering questions from Hugh. This was an outstanding use of the new satellite technology and further positioned Big 13 as a leader in television news.

In the next few years there was increasing use of satellites to bring news live from distant locations. It became commonplace for journalists to report live from other cities where satellite facilities were available. Covering distant sporting events became more plausible with more venues installing fiber optic connections. The networks themselves saw the value in satellite distribution of their programming and by the mid-1980’s most network affiliates had 'mushroom farms' sprout up around their buildings.

The Dawn of SNG

        News became intensely competitive in Tampa Bay in the early 1980’s.  What had been a two-station news market for over two decades was feeling the impact of a new and aggressive effort on the part of WTSP, Channel 10.  Although somewhat at a disadvantage because of its tower location, WTSP became increasingly competitive with WFLA and WTVT.  Channel 10 touted being the only ones in the market with a helicopter and promoted it heavily. While in reality it was probably a leased chopper similar to the situations most TV stations had. The 1980 Skyway bridge collapse tested all the stations ability to cover breaking news from the air since it was the only way to get a visual perspective of the accident.

          Since WTVT didn’t have a “full-time” lease on a helicopter, we engaged the services of a chopper owned by a local construction company.  The chopper was often was unavailable when needed for breaking news.  We decided to purchase some matching helicopter doors on which to paint our logo, so when we were using it as a newsgathering platform there would be some promotional benefits. Our competitors got wind of our plans and placed an ad in the newspapers showing their highly decorated helicopter and an outline of  WTVT’s with only the doors showing. It was a low blow inasmuch as all stations were basically leasing helicopters at the time. However, it points out how competitive things were at this time.

          Another factor fanned the competitive flames: Ratings.  With news becoming a prime source of advertising revenue, ratings became a driving force behind news programs in order to set rates for commercials. What began as a public service commitment in the 1950’s and 60’s was becoming a profit center for TV stations; in some cases accounting for nearly half of the station’s revenues. So the pressure for ratings enhanced competition.