Press Credentials/Radio

[swfluncensored]

Hi all,

As someone who enjoys stringing in their free time, I recently started to become rather serious about this and I was wondering if this is truly something I could pursue professionally in my area?

I am a resident of Lee County (Fort Myers). CCPD, FMPD, and LCSO are all full DE and only FD/EMS is unencrypted. From my understanding and experience with local news agencies, I have recently learned that these news agencies actually bought radios from local LE agencies for press purposes.

For those of you who may have experience in this or knowledge of such activities, how would I go about obtaining one of these radios? Do you think I could walk in to the department, display a press pass and a check and they would program it? Or would it be a process where I would pay for a radio, do paperwork/background check, interviews, and then get the radio? Like stated before this is currently only a hobby and nothing serious (yet) but I would love to start pursuing the profession of stringing. As I am sure you know, it is hard to know what is going on when 70% of calls over FD/EMS radios are just "general illness" or "vehicle accident" (which could literally mean anything).

I am trying to get serious about stringing and really step-up my game by getting some LEO frequencies onboard.. but they are DE. As stated before, local media outlets have been given/bought radios from LE for press purposes. This is merely a hobby at the moment, and I am not sure if I would meet any type of criteria or expectations for a freelance journalist as I have not made any official publications nor do I possess an official press pass. Who would I contact regarding this, and what do you think the process looks like? Do you think I could bring my own radio or would I need to buy one from them? What LE agency should I contact?

Looking forward to seeing your guys' replies.

 

[batdude]

Let me offer my thoughts and opinions. for the record, I do not live anywhere close to Ft. Meyers....

I sincerely doubt that you will find a legitimate method to obtain a radio on the Lee County (or any encrypted LE) system. Same goes for purchasing a radio from the open market and getting it programmed and key loaded for their system; with the usual caveats - your uncle is the Chief of Police/Sheriff/Judge/Mayor, your family makes significant political donations, etc.

Typically, when local news organizations are offered radios "on the system" - there is a cost involved (perhaps even a recurring/monthly fee) and the radio would (most likely) not include any of the tactical / swat / narco / vice type talkgroups - so strictly dispatch stuff. I can tell you that back when Orange County (Orlando) went secure for LE, the local TV stations ran several "we aren't going to be able to give you the news anymore" type stories on TV - with some groundswell of long time local scanner types and hams complaining ---- those stories stopped when they were offered radios programmed on the system.

All that considered, I think your best bet is to get "hired" (even as a contractor) by one of your local newspaper/radio/TV stations that have a radio in their newsroom. How do you find out which ones have that capability? Good question.

End of day, it's kind of like listening to Florida Highway Patrol on SLERS.... if that's REALLY what you want to do, become a trooper, dispatcher or radio tech for the state.... because that's pretty much the only (legitimate) route - same applies to stringers.... end of day, especially in today's sue-everyone world -- it's better to be officially affiliated with a news agency and have credentials than to be a stringer.


side note: I knew a few stringers in LA, NYC, Houston and Miami back in the day --- like the 1990s and early 2000s.... and those guys barely made a living doing it. It is not a lucrative career field unless you get a true / major "scoop"..... (no one I knew ever got the golden $$$$ pictures....)

Best of luck on your quest.

 

[mmckenna]

Who would I contact regarding this, and what do you think the process looks like?

Your best answer is going to come directly from the agency. There is no standard procedure for this.

Do you think I could bring my own radio or would I need to buy one from them? What LE agency should I contact?

Looking forward to seeing your guys' replies.

Do NOT buy your own radio.
There's a couple of things you need to consider here...

There are a lot of variations in radio models, especially when dealing with Motorola. The radio would not only need to be the right band, but also have the correct flashcode.
If the flashcode is not correct, the radio will not have the feature set needed. Fixing this is very difficult and will cost a lot of money.

The files that get programmed into radios need to be the exact right ones for the radio model/flashcode. If they are not, the radio will not take it. It will require a competent radio tech with the right software and cables to try and adapt their file to work your radio. They usually will not do that, as radio tech time is expensive.

The radio will also need to have the encryption keys loaded. That will mean they have to touch your radio any time they change encryption keys. Often agencies/systems will use Over The Air Rekeying (OTAR) to change keys. That would mean your radio would need to be on their system and have the correct set up to accept OTAR. But, since it is your own radio, they would be loading their secure information into a radio they don't own and don't have 100% control over. Unlikely they'd do that. The way encryption keys are handled is very deliberate and exact. They are very tightly controlled. They should not be doing anything that puts the security of those keys at risk.

I've been working in the industry for a long time. I have programmed a lot of radios with encryption. I'm very, very careful who has access to that information and what access end users have to the information. I keep things very locked down because encryption is useless if the keys are not secure. Letting a random person have access to that information eliminates any control I have over the system.

Working with encryption keys, hearing the secured traffic, being in our dispatch center, being around terminal system that handle criminal justice information, etc. all comes with a lot of requirements. The chief had me run through the exact same back ground check/security check procedures the 911 dispatchers have to go through before they are hired. It was a ton of paper work and took a lot of time.
No agency is going to waive all that to let you program or own your own private radio on their system. They'll want 100% control over it.

There will also be agreements you have to sign, or at least their should be. You'll be required to abide by the agreement or they'll kill your radio and want it back.

If it is their radio, they'll probably require some sort of security deposit or other means of keeping the radio under their control. It would be a taxpayer owned asset, and there are a ton of rules on how that is handled.

You won't get full access to the radio system. You might get access to a few specific talkgroups, that'll be it.

Part time stringer will probably not get you very far. The requirements noted above are very involved and are a burden not only on you, but those who run the system. They are probably going to make it difficult. They are also going to want to do at least some level of background check on you, so make sure your past is squeaky clean. If they require you to fill out documentation on a background check, be 100% honest. Any signs of fishyness on those documents will usually result in immediate disqualification.

I agree with batdude, get a job with a local news agency that has the radios already. It'll probably be easier.

 

[RaleighGuy]

For those of you who may have experience in this or knowledge of such activities, how would I go about obtaining one of these radios? Do you think I could walk in to the department, display a press pass and a check and they would program it? Or would it be a process where I would pay for a radio, do paperwork/background check, interviews, and then get the radio?

Who would I contact regarding this, and what do you think the process looks like? Do you think I could bring my own radio or would I need to buy one from them? What LE agency should I contact?

Looking forward to seeing your guys' replies.

The radios, at a significantly higher cost, must be purchased through the agency, who programs it and locks the programming and ability to transmit. They are also usually only provided to accredited and established news agencies, not individuals with a press pass. By established we are talking about TV, news radio, and newspaper organizations, again not individuals within the organization. The process involves a review of the request by the sheriff or chief of police.

 

[JimD56]

I'm in Miami/Fort Lauderdale metro area 5.5 million people and stringers are GONE. We have no "E" on any PD/FD dispatch frequencies and have no need for stringers with the proliferation of the "CELLPHONE" video and Broadcastify. This is a dead art. From the late 90s to 2001 I owned an LLC Stringer company. News outlets no longer pay for video or audio because it is all readily available on the internet immediately. Here in my area Instagram and Twitter is constant with local News and Video updates in "REAL TIME" not stringers selling video or audio for the "News at 11", those days are long gone.

 

[tampabaynews]

As someone who spent 10 years as a stringer before going full-time…

You should first inquire if stations in your market actually buy stringer video nowadays. We don’t in Tampa for the most part.

As far as leasing radios, I guarantee being a stringer with self-made press credentials isn’t going to cut it. You can always ask the agency.

 

[natedawg1604]

I would say that if you are seeking a radio that other media outlets were provided by an agency, there is no legitimate basis for you to be denied what other media outlets were given if you are engaging in news reporting/media activities.

If the agency does not have a written policy as to which media outlets get Encrypted radios, you should demand that they make one and give you a copy. Given that there is no physical limitations on how many radios can be handed out to media (i.e. when the system already has thousands of radios), the argument that only Institutional media can be allowed access would very likely not stand up in court.

I would also say that if they deny you or ignore you on an informal basis, make a formal written request and try to make them deny it in writing; this is basically required before you can go to court. Sometimes agencies play games in court and pretend they didn't make a decision yet or something similar.

One caveat is that one possible outcome of really pushing the issue is the agency could revoke all media access to ENC radios, and that decision could not be challenged in court.

 

[whooey]

Please keep us updated, curious to see what happens here.

 

[kb5udf]

I’ll throw another fly into the ointment. Before even going through the trouble, you may wish to determine what percentage of the areas you want to monitor still use radio for dispatch the way they once did. My home is perhaps a not too uncommon example. That is, even before they went as far as even encrypting animal control, radio traffic fell off greatly over the years due to CAD dispatch systems and a lot of the chatter on the dispatch channel that remained was to deal with CAD issues like “clear me from that call,”. “My terminal is stuck” etc.

 

[swfluncensored]

I would say that if you are seeking a radio that other media outlets were provided by an agency, there is no legitimate basis for you to be denied what other media outlets were given if you are engaging in news reporting/media activities.

If the agency does not have a written policy as to which media outlets get Encrypted radios, you should demand that they make one and give you a copy. Given that there is no physical limitations on how many radios can be handed out to media (i.e. when the system already has thousands of radios), the argument that only Institutional media can be allowed access would very likely not stand up in court.

I would also say that if they deny you or ignore you on an informal basis, make a formal written request and try to make them deny it in writing; this is basically required before you can go to court. Sometimes agencies play games in court and pretend they didn't make a decision yet or something similar.

One caveat is that one possible outcome of really pushing the issue is the agency could revoke all media access to ENC radios, and that decision could not be challenged in court.

I like this! Will definitely try it out.

 

[mass-man]

You would be wise to heed the advice to check with the local TV stations that they even still PAY for footage. No longer done in Houston, nor Dallas here in TX! Cellphones everywhere. As a bonafide TV station news operation, we are given ONE radio that is programmed with the dispatch channels for the various districts in one of our two major cities, and that is it. As they are aware we can hear them they do the intitial dispatch and more often that we like move to a frequency we can't monitor. They are fullfiling their part of the deal!!! We pay serious money for the radios, the dept programs them, and usually advises if there is a change or update. USUALLY. The other city is moving slowly to a new system with E and we can't get a bit of info on if they plan to offer the ability for us to monitor their dispatch channels. As the PIO told us,
"we don't have to."
Good luck

 

[KK4JUG]

As a former police public information officer and TV reporter (not at the same time), I can tell you your chances are slim. That market is big enough that the TV media won't likely deal with beginners, either as a reporter or stringer. The only exception might be a college graduate with a journalism degree. The smaller markets form the farm teams and once you've proven yourself there, you MIGHT be offered something in a larger market. The competition between stations is pretty stiff and the stakes are high for them. The more viewers, the more they charge for advertising.

Radio is not as tough to get into but fewer and fewer radio stations have any news at all.

 

[JimD56]

Miami/Fort Lauderdale is the 3rd Largest Media market in the USA only behind NYC and LA-Orange Metro and NONE of the media outlets here pay for any video or photos, they don't need to. Move on to another interest or project, you will be much more sane.

 

[zlandmedia]

Miami/Fort Lauderdale is the 3rd Largest Media market in the USA only behind NYC and LA-Orange Metro and NONE of the media outlets here pay for any video or photos, they don't need to. Move on to another interest or project, you will be much more sane.

Huh? Chicago is the third largest, followed by Philadelphia and then Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale is actually Nielsen DMA #18, while it's Arbitron #11 for radio.

 

[natedawg1604]

Miami/Fort Lauderdale is the 3rd Largest Media market in the USA only behind NYC and LA-Orange Metro and NONE of the media outlets here pay for any video or photos, they don't need to. Move on to another interest or project, you will be much more sane.

So do a lot of media companies not pay stringers any more to get video from incident scenes?

 

[KK4JUG]

So do a lot of media companies not pay stringers any more to get video from incident scenes?

Most do not work with stringers and, thus, do not pay. While they still may exist, stringers are rapidly fading away.

 

[DanRollman]

I enjoyed the Netflix miniseries Shot in the Dark, in part because I knew in a few years we'd view it as a historical documentary of a profession that doesn't exist anymore. Like pay phones and drive-through fotomats, news stringers are a relic of my youth.

 

[natedawg1604]

Most do not work with stringers and, thus, do not pay. While they still may exist, stringers are rapidly fading away.

Why is that? Are media companies not feeling the need to have as much video of incident scenes?

 

[chrismol1]

The stringers I know of around me get their 5 second news clip if the news channels care to cover the incident. Guys do facebook and can provide much more detailed descriptions and long video and photos. Make money from donations too, probably a bit because they cover more things than the news does or cares

I always saw the Shot in the dark guys as chasing something more than the quick story. It was cool as it was all about intercepting and getting on it before it ended, ie pursuits and stuff as it was happening. That "money shot". Those were nuts. About all the stuff news gets around here is the local news sends a crew out to get the same footage the stringers would get, ie standing in front of a police tape line.

 

[JimD56]

Huh? Chicago is the third largest, followed by Philadelphia and then Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Miami-Ft. Lauderdale is actually Nielsen DMA #18, while it's Arbitron #11 for radio.

Good for Nielsen. However, MIA/Fort Lauderdale has the 3rd largest Media "Channel" presence when combined for Local Broadcast, Local Cable, AND THE MOST Broadcast and Cable International Channels in the entire USA, with over 30. Neilsen does NOT rate International and considering Miami-Dade County is 68% identifying as Latin and over 40% NOT native-born that's a huge chunk. The international (mainly Spanish broadcasts are actually much better than the US, with better raw "bloody" real footage, and real commentary with no BS political spin. Stringers have no shot. Because every "Abuela and Tio" want their cellphone video on Telemundo.