By site editor Dan Chung:
It is no secret that most major TV news networks have been experimenting with drones and trying to find ways to deploy them without running foul of laws and regulations. How unmanned flying vehicles can be used safely and appropriately to cover news events has been vexing both news bosses and regulators in many countries. The BBC has recently started using drones for elements of their news coverage and one was even used during the live broadcasts from the New Year fireworks at the London Eye.
Against this backdrop the CNN today announced an agreement with the FAA to work together to “get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups”. There is no detail about how this agreement will work in practice and whether CNN will actually be deploying their own drones routinely to news stories as part of this research.
Here is the press release in full:
12:03 PM ET
CNN Signs UAV Research Agreement With The FAA
CNN has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the Federal Aviation Administration to advance efforts to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into newsgathering and reporting.
The cooperation arrangement will integrate efforts from CNN’s existing research partnership with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Coordination between and among CNN, GTRI and the FAA has already begun. The FAA will use data collected from this initiative to formulate a framework for various types of UAVs to be safely integrated into newsgathering operations.
“Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups,” said CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante. “Our hope is that these efforts contribute to the development of a vibrant ecosystem where operators of various types and sizes can safely operate in the US airspace.”
“Unmanned aircraft offer news organizations significant opportunities,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We hope this agreement with CNN and the work we are doing with other news organizations and associations will help safely integrate unmanned newsgathering technology and operating procedures into the National Airspace System.”
