Cell Phone Live Shots Just the Beginning

Here's an editorial I wrote up which will appear on tvspy.com tomorrow morning.

I carry a live truck in my pocket. It weighs five ounces and can broadcast live streaming video and audio to thousands of television viewers within five seconds. No hassles with hunting for a parking spot, no microwave mast, no cables, no tripod.

Thanks to my cell phone with Qik software, I am the photographer, engineer and reporter. Hello Star Trek technology! It’s cheap, it’s easy to use and it’s available to anyone—and it’s going to revolutionize television journalism even more with live video cell phone shots produced not only by journalists, but by bystanders and witnesses at breaking news scenes.

This past week I used this phenomenal technology to file a live report via my iPhone at KOB-TV in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If it’s not the first live shot using streaming cell phone video, it’s certainly among the first. My inbox has been flooded with emails from news directors and reporters from across the country wondering how I did it.

This is how: Cell phone video streams to website. Computer with website is taken live. There. It’s that easy.

I’m giddy we took this risk despite the huge chance of me looking like a pixilated mess. We pulled it off quite well, I think, despite some hiccups in the video. It was a risk that’s proving to be effective as television news managers look for cheaper and more efficient ways to produce news.

Yes, this technology is still too crude to replace our conventional equipment of big live trucks and big cameras. But it works and the quality is easy to forgive, especially in situations where live trucks can’t go or in places where live trucks would draw too much attention. There’s no doubt this technology will improve and eventually replace the heavy, bulky equipment we still use.

But forget about my iPhone live shot as a reporter….I’m just waiting for the time when television stations start taking live cell phone video feeds from bystanders at fires, traffic accidents, crime scenes and even from victims themselves. Just wait until we hear about a hostage somewhere streaming live cell phone video in a bank or wherever. Talk about eyewitness news. And why not? We already take live cell phone audio hits from people. Video is the next big step.

This type of citizen journalism is already happening and if television stations don’t embrace the technology, all of us TV people will be left behind in the digital dust. Oh wait…we’re already getting scooped thanks to Twitter, Qik, and Ustream.

I believe in order for television stations to survive as news outlets, citizen journalism and social media must be absorbed into our format. After all, the internet has already devoured our exclusive roles reporters. Everyone has become a journalist with their own blogs. Now everyone can become a live television station.


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jeremyjojola.com

State Police: Man Arrested for 22nd DWI

This guy has a huge problem. According to New Mexico State Police Delano T. Vigil was arrested on Monday for his 22nd DWI.

From the press release from NMSP:

Espanola—Delano T. Vigil was arrested Monday evening for DWI, his 22nd time. He was stopped by State Police in his 1999 Infiniti on State Road 76 around 5 pm and had to be taken by ambulance to Cristus St. Vincent hospital in Santa Fe. Today’s blood alcohol analysis indicated a BAC of .393.

Records show Vigil (5/27/58) of Guadalupita, NM, has been arrested 5 times in New Mexico and at least 16 times in other states. He is also wanted in other counties for DWI charges.

Delano T. Vigil is being charged with felony DWI in Rio Arriba County on this arrest, and was booked into the Santa Fe County Detention Center without incident. Vigil was also served with three arrest warrants from San Miguel, Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties all DWI related charges.

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jeremyjojola.com

Borrego Investigation in DA's Hands

I just spoke to Rio Arriba County Sheriff Joe Mascarenas regarding the investigation into Kathy Borrego.

Mascarenas tells me over the phone his detective is handing in a report to the District Attorney's office "as we speak." From this point, the Sheriff says, it will be up to the DA on how to proceed with charges. An indictment is possible.

So far Borrego has not been officially charged or arrested for allegedly stealing 3.3 million dollars from taxpayers.
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jeremyjojola.com

Live Report Filed Through iPhone

I'm not sure this is a first for a television station, but it's a first in the Albuquerque television market. I went live on KOB-TV airwaves using an iPhone while reporting on a group of local software developers.


Here's the report on KOB.com


I downloaded a video streaming program called Qik available on the iPhone App store (it was first available through the use of jail broken phones).

We then used a station computer to open up Qik's website where my live profile was opened up. We full-screened the video box on the computer (which is routed to our broadcast equipment in the control room) and there we were--streaming live video to thousands of people from the palm of the hand.

It was certainly easier than dragging up a bunch of cable and lugging around a huge camera and tripod.

There is a four-second delay in the live video feed, so the newscast producer had to cue me four seconds earlier than normal. The timing worked out well and our audio was clear. The video was a bit choppy, but hey...it's new technology!

The con:

My head looked huge during the live shot (cue the jokes). That's because we had to have the phone up close so my audio could be picked up by the phone. The audio tech in the control room was having a hard time hearing me when the phone was more than three feet away from my face.
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jeremyjojola.com

Is that Meth in your pants......

Take a look at this case of drug smuggling below, released today by U.S. Customs and Border Protection:




Smuggler was at the border when authorities noticed a bulge in his pants. Turned out it was meth.

From the press release:

"The CBP officer found two bundles hidden along the waist line of the man’s pants. A further examination revealed that the tape wrapped bundles were food containers filled with a material that looked like shards of glass. CBP officers tested the substance and received a positive match for methamphetamine. The drugs weighed 1.55 pounds."
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jeremyjojola.com

State Auditor: Borrego Stole 3.3 Million

UPDATE 3: Just conducted a brief interview with State Auditor Hector Balderas. Balderas tells me this is likely a state record for embezzlement by a single person in New Mexico. The auditor that conducted the audit (below) has never seen anything like this in his 30 year career, according to Balderas.

**I'm working on embedding the full audit report on this website. It should be posted here shortly***

UPDATE: Here's the full audit report:

UPDATE 2: This is not a full report, but an "executive summary." Full report not to be released yet because it contains sensitive information to criminal investigation.



Finally the special audit conducted by the State Auditor was released to the public and press today revealing Jemez Mountain School Business Manager Kathy Borrego stole a substantial amount of money from the district.

From the State Auditor's press release on the report:

"Today, State Auditor Hector Balderas released the staggering findings
of his office’s special audit of the Jemez Mountain School District (District). The audit
concluded the District’s former business manager, Kathy Borrego, embezzled
$3,378,701.27 from the District’s bank accounts from January 8, 2002 through June 4,
2009.
"I am outraged that public money for kids ended up in personal accounts,”
Balderas stated. “I have directed my auditors to assist with the criminal investigation and
prosecution of these appalling acts.”
Balderas’ special audit found that 538 checks were removed from the District’s
blank check stock and made payable to the District’s former business manager Kathy
Borrego, and other persons. The authorized signatures on the checks were forged and
checks were cashed or deposited into various personal bank accounts. Also, the special
audit found that data in the District’s accounting system was altered to conceal the
unauthorized cash disbursements and expenditures.

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jeremyjojola.com