TallyVision

[fivesfella]

Which browser are you using 5s?

Firefox. But I tried IE, doesn't work for me there, either. Probably just the way my work computer is configured.

[Florida]

Probably so. Normally the browsers will download and enable java and whatnot on their own. Is that the only website you're having trouble with? Tallahassee Democrat sends me those daily news updates in the e-mail and lately they've all been scribble-scrabble. They may have some bugs yet to work out.

[fivesfella]

Probably so. Normally the browsers will download and enable java and whatnot on their own. Is that the only website you're having trouble with? Tallahassee Democrat sends me those daily news updates in the e-mail and lately they've all been scribble-scrabble. They may have some bugs yet to work out.

Yep, that's pretty much the only one. Typical for the 'Crat.

[Florida]

Its sad, but you're right.

[Glenn]

^ Ah, I see. I was going to copy and paste "Toyota's" profile to show the they too love the Lakers, but Toyota magically changed his profile. No shame in taking credit for it.

Ha! We think alike GG...I checked it out also & noticed that same thing. Don't you just love a good mystery?

[Glenn]

February 26, 2008

TOYOTA Commercial

Tallahassee, FL

Ever notice how many Toyota's there are on our streets!? Tallahassee loves them! Myself included!

Hmmmmmmm.....Sounds familiar.

[Florida]

Hmmmmmmm.....Sounds familiar.

Sounds familiar?

[Go Gators]

Now you're just being annoying

[Florida]

Lets get back on topic!!

I really like Nancy Dignon's downtown Sky Cam... is it possible for her to turn it in another direction?

[poonther]

Lets get back on topic!!

I really like Nancy Dignon's downtown Sky Cam... is it possible for her to turn it in another direction?

Really? I think the thing is actually silly and wasteful and at night you can't see anything. However in the day I can sorta make out the block where my house is. I agree if they turned it the other way, it might be an improvement and a little zoom in wouldn't hurt either. I mean a "downtown cam" should look towards downtown, but be IN downtown and look away from it.

BTW while I like the Democrat's new way of displaying the comments at the END of the story. That way I don't have to read them unless I want to. However I find the new design while it looks good, is rather fluffy. It seems to me there are more opinion comments and blogs on the thing than real hard news. It looks rather Mayberry gone hi-tech to me.

[Florida]

That's a way to put it Poonther, Mayberry goes high-tech. I think they should leave the blogging to the blogging sites and stick to the news. Commentary is nice at the end of the articles, but as you said, there seem to be more blogs than real articles. I can't even find the news on this new site, so I've given up looking. This is the perfect example of taking something thats bad and making it worse.

[PastTeaExceller]

My thoughts go out to those affected by today's storms and tornadoes.

This afternoon while checking on news reports on the storm, I ran across the News Now part of CTV's website, where a video clip provided an update on damage, etc. One thing the anchor (Jamal MacCall or something like that) said really jumped out and reminded me why (other than a little pre-existing bias) I never liked news coverage on CTV. The anchor said something along the lines of "the reports from other media of two deaths are confirmed to be false. We never reported that any deaths occurred."

Very misleading trying to tell the public they were totally right and subtlely slamming TXL, CNN, Fox News, and other networks that mentioned fatalities. The report of deaths came from a preliminary storm report from the National Weather Service that even CTV uses to get updated info on severe weather. I saw a clip on TXL's site this morning with Harrigan mentioning the deaths, and if I'm not mistaken, he did mention it was unconfirmed info from the NWS. I don't know if anyone on CTV ever mentioned the report during live coverage since I can't see the stations from way out here, but there's no doubt they saw the report of deaths from the reputable source (NWS). They just chose not to mention it.

It's not the fact that they decided to wait until confirmation (which is actually a good thing). It's the way they made it sound as if they are holier than thou while everyone else sucks that irked me. I wouldn't doubt that they got the revised report from the NWS, just like everyone else, and decided to run with it and spin it in their favor.

Any other thoughts about storm coverage from anyone that actually saw it on the tube and not only on the Internet?

Good to hear TXL is using the Skycam again. That was another thing that malfunctioned more than it functioned during the Sinclair age.

Time to go back underneath the rock.

[user102929]

Really? I think the thing is actually silly and wasteful and at night you can't see anything. However in the day I can sorta make out the block where my house is. I agree if they turned it the other way, it might be an improvement and a little zoom in wouldn't hurt either. I mean a "downtown cam" should look towards downtown, but be IN downtown and look away from it.

BTW while I like the Democrat's new way of displaying the comments at the END of the story. That way I don't have to read them unless I want to. However I find the new design while it looks good, is rather fluffy. It seems to me there are more opinion comments and blogs on the thing than real hard news. It looks rather Mayberry gone hi-tech to me.

I believe that the Doubletree Tower Cam is a big improvement that WTXL made. However, I agree that it is hard to see things at night. I agree too that they should turn it around and make it face some of the skyscrapers in downtown, and add some brightness and contrast enhancements to it when it is nighttime. Many professional TV stations in larger TV markets have live cameras where they show traffic conditions on the roads and they use them to show what the weather looks like in some areas with a live picture.

Maybe WCTV will get their own Tower Cam soon, after they go HD like WTXL.

And for anybody who doesn't know this, WTXL and WCTV's cameras in the studio are all robotic, and sometimes those robotic cameras have a mind of their own. They like to move at the wrong time.

This video should explain.

[TD]

I believe that the Doubletree Tower Cam is a big improvement that WTXL made. However, I agree that it is hard to see things at night. I agree too that they should turn it around and make it face some of the skyscrapers in downtown, and add some brightness and contrast enhancements to it when it is nighttime. Many professional TV stations in larger TV markets have live cameras where they show traffic conditions on the roads and they use them to show what the weather looks like in some areas with a live picture.

Maybe WCTV will get their own Tower Cam soon, after they go HD like WTXL.

And for anybody who doesn't know this, WTXL and WCTV's cameras in the studio are all robotic, and sometimes those robotic cameras have a mind of their own. They like to move at the wrong time.

This video should explain.

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[user102929]

Terrible.... We look so backward....

You must work at WTXL.

[TD]

You must work at WTXL.

Not quite.

[user102929]

Not quite.

Not Quite? Are you an intern? Does WTXL even do internships? Im doing an internship at WCTV.

[TD]

Not Quite? Are you an intern? Does WTXL even do internships? Im doing an internship at WCTV.

I dont know. Im in no way interning or working at a news station, im going to FSU....

Anyhow I made the comment, because for that large of a mess up during a news cast makes Tallahassee News look like a joke.

[user102929]

I dont know. Im in no way interning or working at a news station, im going to FSU....

Anyhow I made the comment, because for that large of a mess up during a news cast makes Tallahassee News look like a joke.

Oh, I agree it makes Tally News look like a joke.

GO 'NOLES!

[poonther]

Yeah don't get me wrong, a tower cam downtown is a good thing as long as it's a GOOD tower cam. Unfortunately ours isn't. Many times I've heard Nancy D. say at night, traffic appears to be moving along Monroe quite well and I always laugh b/c I can't even hardly make of the street much less if there's traffic. I just believe since Monroe is usually dead around 11pm on weeknights, that Nancy is just making an educated guess here. Turn the cam around and maybe things would be better or at least give us more lights and buildings to view.

The mistake w/the WTXL cams that you linked us to in YouTube....I was watching that night live. It was bizarre to say the least.

[Florida]

I was watching that night too. My thinking was that the guy seen in the clip triped a cord, or hit a button by mistake.

[user102929]

I think that they just set the timing wrong, all of the cameras, mics, etc. are set to do their job at a specific time, they're all on a timeline. The cameras were set to go to Nancy for the weather segment too early.

[Beukeboom]

I think that they just set the timing wrong, all of the cameras, mics, etc. are set to do their job at a specific time, they're all on a timeline. The cameras were set to go to Nancy for the weather segment too early.

I can't speak for 27, but while I was a newscast director at channel 6, we used a Parkervision programmable system that basically is a computerized control for the cameras, mics, video and audio that has to be pre-programmed prior to each show using pre-arranged segments. Once the director gets the final rundown from the producer, the director and assistant director go to work programming the complete show so when it comes time to air, all the director should need to do (if everything goes smoothly AND if the program is correct) is advance the timeline using the spacebar. However if something gets changed at the last moment, a technical glitch occurs or if the program is not 100% correct, errors will creep in IF the director is unable to anticipate the problem beforehand OR react properly and swiftly with a "shotbox" (manual override). It's actually more complex than that but that's the overall gist. Now that's what is was like when I left in 2006. They may have gone to a newer system but more than likely it has to be pre-programmed.

Also, as of the time when I left, the cameras at channel 6 were only PARTIALLY robotic. The camera mounts themselves were indeed robotic but the bases were set and had to be manually moved by a flood director.

[user102929]

When WCTV's Production Manager showed me around the station back in January 2008, all the cameras were robotic, they're bases/tripods that they sat on were not.

I was shown the WTXL studio too on the same day. Their cameras were the same way as WCTV's. Their station was a much smaller building than WCTV, but their equipment was much more high-tech.

[Beukeboom]

When WCTV's Production Manager showed me around the station back in January 2008, all the cameras were robotic, they're bases/tripods that they sat on were not.

Yep, that's the way it was when I was there. Nothing much has changed about the cameras apparently.

BTW, what that Mike Watson that showed you around?