By John Eckberg
Enquirer staff writer

WLWT's traffic reporter Diana Lara operates the nose-mounted video camera as she makes a traffic report above downtown Tuesday morning. WLWT and WKRC Local News 12 both have helicopter flights that bring viewers updated traffic conditions. The Enquirer/GLENN HARTONG

The battle for the ears of radio listeners stuck in traffic and the eyes of television viewers worried about congestion is no longer a ground-based skirmish.

Helicopters have staked out an important role in the radio and television quest for local mind share and advertising dollars because people have come to expect traffic reports with their morning cup of coffee.

WLWT-TV News 5 leads the local pack with a leased helicopter that is also outfitted for newsgathering and twice-a-day traffic reports from Diana Lara.

"It is a great benefit to viewers," said Brennan Donnellan, news director. "In the morning news, what people tell us is important in order: weather, top stories and traffic. "... Delays in Cincinnati can last a long time."

WLWT and WKRC Local News 12 are the only local TV news operations with daily helicopter flights that bring viewers updated traffic conditions in the morning and afternoon. But WLWT contracts for a Bell Jet Ranger that has mounted cameras, which means it also can bring viewers on-the-scene reports. That's invaluable for any station that wants to build brand recognition for being first with breaking news stories, Donnellan said.

"There is no better tool in the arsenal of news gathering than a chopper," Donnellan said. "We can unquestionably get there first, and than means we get the pictures first. We get the live reports first.

"We've demonstrated the past several years that we are committed to being the breaking news and breaking weather leader. I think the helicopter is an immediate response tool."

Not all local media agree. WCPO-TV (Channel 9) has used helicopters in the past, but found them costly and of limited news value. Leasing a copter can cost $300 an hour, or, for a consistent commitment, up to $500,000 a year.

Technology's downside

George Merlis, former ABC news producer and former executive producer for Good Morning America, CBS Morning News and Entertainment Tonight, says recent advances in camera technology opened the door for TV news helicopters, whether traffic is jammed or not.

"There is no better fast-moving camera platform in the world than a helicopter, especially with advanced gyroscopic mounts," Merlis said.

But that technology has a downside, particularly in major markets such as Los Angeles, where in addition to constant traffic updates news copters spend their days jostling for air space above crime scenes and car chases.

"The journalistic helicopter-borne cavalry's slavish attention to any kind of police chase, no matter how insignificant, steals extremely valuable time from other stories of substance," said Merlis, who runs the Los Angeles-based Experienced Media Consulting Group.

"But we have had occasions where a news helicopter has assisted or effectuated rescues: a guy lost in the desert and the news helicopter found him,'' he added.

Cincinnati TV stations have managed to avoid the car-chase news trend, and recent ratings suggest that using a helicopter here for news may not necessarily bring a bump in viewers.

According to the last ratings from Nielsen Media Research, in the 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. weekday time slot, WKRC had a 3.2 rating, followed by WCPO at 2.7, WXIX at 2.6 and WLWT at 1.9. A rating is the percentage of the 872,000 television households in the region set on a station.

WCPO has seen significant movement in the past year, moving from fourth place to second place, a 17 percent increase. During the same time period, WLWT has seen its TV ratings for the morning news time slot erode by 24 percent.

Not just television

Television stations are not alone in offering airborne traffic reports, as radio stations offer more frequent dispatches throughout the day.

Clear Channel Communications' flagship station, WLW-700 AM, has had helicopter service for more than four decades, said Darryl Parks, director of AM operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati. That Enstrom helicopter - a tiny two-seater - shares traffic information across Clear Channel's eight radio stations and with WKRC-TV Local 12, also owned by Clear Channel.

While morning traffic reports are interesting to listeners, Parks said, afternoon reports have real urgency and are magnets for advertising on either end of the summary.

Some local media have experimented with helicopter reporting and now avoid it altogether. WCPO-TV (Channel 9) had a helicopter report in the 1970s and again in the 1990s, said Bill Fee, station vice president and general manager, but curtailed it in 2000 because it was too expensive and not productive for the daily grind of news.

"It was basically a cost issue. Renting a chopper for 40 hours a month is a very expensive investment. At the time in 2000 we decided to reinvest in human resources instead of helicopter," Fee said.

"It's a wonderful tool to have. It helps during breaking news,'' he added. "But helicopters don't add much dimension to day-in-and-day-out local newsgathering. And when you lease a helicopter, you have to guarantee a certain number of hours per month. It probably costs $250,000 to $500,000 a year."

WKRC's Chris Sehring, vice president and general manager of Cincinnati Clear Channel, said that while traffic helicopter reports have become commonplace, he does not expect Greater Cincinnati radio listeners and TV viewers to see news helicopters sparring over fires and crime scenes.

For one thing, the Clear Channel chopper is not rigged with the expensive equipment required for live reports.

Also, station managers have to ask if costly helicopter time is worth more to a news-gathering operation than, say, another satellite truck. While the expense of an hour of flight time varies, it can average $200 an hour, with Bell Jet Ranger helicopters costing $300 an hour.

E-mail jeckberg@enquirer.com