Los Angeles, CA —Local news coverage here is as lame is it gets anywhere!   The entertainment capitol of the world and the second largest television market puts out  pathetic   minimalist crap instead of comprehensive news. It's downright shameful! What used to be called print media has now been forcibly   moved to the Internet and they now must adapt to publishing quality video or simply become history. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re at the bottom position and pay grade in your news organization there’s no excuse for you being unable to make a broadcast quality news story if you come upon breaking news.   If you can’t put together a watchable story on your iPhone you need to get out of the news business.   You don’t have to be pretty or an award winning cinematographer to create a great news story.   You do need to be capable of using a little investigative effort and get some watchable video and simply tell your story. ...

Helicopter Crash Scene Courtesy of KOMO-TV Seattle, WA Seattle, WA —Tragedy struck this morning as a TV news helicopter crashed near the landmark Space Needle.   At least two people are reported dead and another is listed in critical condition at a local hospital.   At least three cars have been set on fire as result of the crash. TV news helicopters have a relatively good safety record, but every few years somewhere, these horrible accidents are repeated.    Over the years I’ve lost friends in crashes in Phoenix, AZ and Denver, CO that lost their lives covering news from the air.   Trust me, it always hurts. Aerial news coverage is necessary but can be a little risky.   It is also the single most expensive cost of most TV news organizations.   TV news has lost a major portion of its audience and revenue and many news organizations have curtailed or eliminated helicopter coverage altogether. Technology has brought us something...

San Francisco, CA —Today the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals followed recent rulings by The United States Supreme Court by striking down the California ban on concealed weapons. In a 127page opinion ruled that the long standing law that allowed for “may issue” permits was un-Constitutional.   The stricken aw had given police official’s absolute power to issue or deny permits to applicants.   The permits were almost exclusively issued to politicians, bureaucrats and heavy political campaign donors in the more populous jurisdictions.   Appeal is unlikely because of the SCOTUS  McDonald decision that is in fact the law of the land.   That case is what toppled Chicago’s ban.   Illinois officials   are currently issuing thousands of permits to law-abiding citizens.   What this really means is that if a gun owner is free of felony or domestic violence convictions and is not mentally ill the current law requiring a permit to c...